Social Issues in China

Since 1978, the opening up and reform in China has brought tremendous economic and social changes. While China’s economic progress has been commendable, the social problems that go with economic changes have raised serious concerns. Some of those concerns are related to gender, ethnic, labor, and environmental issues. This book is about what has happened in these arenas in China since the opening up and reform in 1978.   The study of gender, ethnicity, labor, and environment touches on some of the fundamental problems of modernization, especially the development of individuals and groups. So even though gender, ethnicity, labor, and environment seem to be separate issues, they are in fact related in some fundamental ways. That’s what this book will explore as well.   To understand is one thing and to do is another. This book also incorporates studies of NGO practices to see how NGOs have helped in transforming gender, ethnic, labor, and environment interplay. Our study of NGOs in helping improve such interplay sheds light on how specifically civil society can prod the state to transform social relations for the better. This book is an attempt to assess the changes, both positive and negative, in gender, ethnic, ethnic, and environmental relations in China especially in the past 30 years of opening up and reform, especially regarding national identity formation. ​

Zhadong Hao is professor in the Department of Sociology and academic manager of the Social Science Research Center on Contemporary China at the University of Macao.

Sheying Chen is professor of social policy and associate provost for academic affairs at Pace University in New York. He is series co-editor, as well as co-editor of Springers series International Perspectives on Aging. He has also co-edited a special issue of Ageing International and recentlyjoined that journal as an associate editor.