An insider’s in-depth exploration of village politics in contemporary rural China, among the first books of its kind in English literature.

Applies a clientelist perspective to explain the state-society relationship in Chinese politics.

Accessible and interesting for both China researchers and general readers keen on understanding Chinese society and Chinese political culture.

Wang's book offers an empirically rich and conceptually nuanced analysis of how local state agents maintain control over village self-governance in China. His careful analysis of primary documents enables him to explicate the formal mechanisms used by members of the local state to influence village affairs. Meanwhile, his rigorous and fascinating ethnographic data enable him to elucidate the manifold ways in which informal clientelist ties between local state officials and village elites permit the former to exert control. Overall, this excellent book powerfully demonstrates the need for scholars to go beyond attention to election processes when evaluating what village democracy means in a Chinese context. It is a must-read for all serious scholars of Chinese politics and society.