The Evolution Of The Social Class Structure Of Rural China Since The Reform And Opening Up

Since the reform and opening up, the rural stratum structure in China has changed a lot. It is of great significance to analyze seriously the change and understand sufficiently the current status and developing trend of the rural stratum structure, both theoretically and practically. Especially, it has direct realistic significance for boosting the rural economic and social development and solving substantially the problems of agriculture industry, countryside and peasants.This paper, based on the case study on the typical rural examples, focuses on studying on the evolution process, current status, causes and developing trend of the rural stratum structure in China. Besides the introduction, this paper is consisted of four parts. In the first part: at first, the criterion for the rural stratum differentiation is defined. This paper makes full use of the theory achievements of the stratum research, combines closely with the current rural social status and embodies prominently the longitudinal difference of the peasants. The economy, political power, prestige and special technologies are regarded as the criterion to analyze the rural social stratum differentiation. In the second part: based on the case study of Zhangbaofu Village, Lankao County, Henan Province, the evolution process of the rural social stratum structure in China after the reform and opening up is analyzed particularly. In this paper, the peasants in Zhangbaofu Village are classified into eight stratums, namely, the rural governors, the managers of the township enterprises, the individual labors, the peasant workers, the intelligent labors, the agricultural labors, the employees and the non-independent labors. In the third part: the realistic situation of Zhangbaofu Village is further analyzed to work out the causes of the rural social stratum development, for example, the socialist economic system reform, the countryside system reform, the existing of the abundant surplus rural labors and the seeking after the economic benefits. In the fourth part: studied mainly are the current status and the developing trend of the rural social stratum in China. The author believes that, at present, the rural social stratum structure in China is a pyramid-like structure; the foundation of the rural society is and will be in continuous change; the peasants flow frequently in the different social strata, especially in the lower strata; the peasants'attempt to change their social status will be told in many stories in the rural society;...