A Study On The "Economic Elite Ruling" And The Transition Of Political Power In Rural China

Ever since the implementation of the villager autonomy in the 90s, there appears a trend of "economic elite ruling" phenomenon in the rural areas. This phenomenon was first popular in the rich villages like Zhejiang and Jiangsu, in which the majority economic elite is village entrepreneurs. Then it spreads to all areas of China. "Economic elite ruling" is a political new trend brought about by the economic development since the Reform and Opening-up Policy. It is also the need for rural economic and political institutional change, which marked by the "household-responsibility system" and the "villager autonomy election". The former makes economic elite well-off, and the later offers opportunity for them to be elected as the director of the villagers’committee. Besides, it appeals to the villagers’need to be rich, township leaders’demand for local economic growth and elites’personal ambition. The high percentage of the economic elite to be elected as the director of the villagers’committee is a characteristic of the time. However, Chinese rural society is a much diversified region which labeled by its present and historical background. In some regions, the historical power like family still dominates the election, which also shows that economic factor itself cannot explain everything. Besides, whether economic elites can be successfully elected is also determined by their social influence, their contribution to the society and the support from villagers and township leaders. Two different social elite flows happened due to the change of political and economic institutions in the rural areas. By absorbing the new economic elite into the rural governing class bring out new vitality to the rural governance and provide chance for the sustainable stability and development of the rural areas.