China Social Science Review

No.4, 2021

 

The Family Orientation and the Underlying Logic of Village Governance

(Abstract)

 

Fu Wei

 

In the course of modernization, the governance structure and operational unit of most Chinese villages underwent dramatic changes. The clan and the extended family (zongzu and jiazu) and other “functional organizations” disintegrated, leaving the family as the main operational unit. The resilience and centrality of the family are the key elements in rural society’s remaining “unchanged.” This family orientation plays a vital role in village governance; it constitutes the underlying logic that enables us to understand village governance. As such, it has extended our appreciation of the basis of village governance, while also challenging us to take the next step in research. We need to introduce a historical dimension to sociology and adopt a research method that is sensitive to others.