Revolution, resistance, and reform in village China /

Fourteen years after their first joint effort, Friedman (political science, Univ. of Wisconsin), Pickowicz (history, Univ. of California, San Diego), and Selden (sociology, Binghamton Univ.) have produced another multidisciplinary classic. Like their 1991 Chinese Village, Socialist State (CH, Oct'91, 29-1046), this book is heavy on fieldwork, including 30 research visits to interview again many of the informants used for their first book. This new work is a microcosm of the uneven dynamics of revolution, economic development, reform, and resistance across China. Hebei, an interior province where Wugong Village and Raoyang County are located, remains one of the two poorest provinces in China. Hebei also ranks last in all-important foreign loans and direct investment. Even the key north-south Kowloon-Beijing railroad, which runs through the area, has netted tantalizing few economic benefits. Corruption and abuse of power by government officials are still rife. Of special interest are eight statistical tables on crop cultivation, yield, and sale; population and labor utilization; collective income and distribution; and agricultural machinery to 1982. Three maps and 34 photographs span generations. No Chinese glossary. A classic suitable for all levels, and a must library acquisition. ^BSumming Up: Essential. All libraries. H. T. Wong emeritus, Eastern Washington University