China: Citizens, Society, and
the State
AP Comparative Government
Intro
As changes in leadership in China have occurred, so have the relationships between
leaders and the people
Under Mao, virtually no civil society was allowed
With a more market based economy, relationships had to be better established
This is especially true as citizens lose sight of the value of communism in their daily lives
The CCP now appeals to patriotism and to the traditional pride of being Chinese to pull citizens
together
Ethnic Cleavages
China’s ethnic population is primarily Han Chinese
These are the people who historically formed the basis of China’s cultural identity and established
the empire and the country
Minority groups comprise 8% of the PRC’s population, but area’s such as Tibet and Xinjiang have
major minority populations that make up over 60% of China’s territory.
These regions have a long history of resistance towards the Chinese government
There are currently 55 officially recognized minority groups in China, but none of them are very
large
The majority of China’s minorities live on the borders of the country and in sparsely
populated areas
Because of the distance from major cities, it is feared that these area’s may try and join
neighboring countries or revolt against the Chinese government
Ethnic Cleavages
The government’s officals policy towards minorities is to support and encourage the
economic development of these groups, but to suppress expressions of dissent
Most Chinese minorities reside in five autonomous regions known as Guangxi, Inner Mongolia,
Ningxia, Tibet and Xinjiang.
The Chinese constitution grants autonomous areas the right of self government in matters such as cultural
affairs, but their authority is extremely limited
Many of these groups appear to be content to be a part of the Chinese empire
Ethnic cleavages
Tibet:
Tibet has a long history of separate ethnic identity
The former government of Tibet never recognized the authority of the Chinese government
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, fled after a failed revolution in 1959
The Dalai Lama then set up what is referred to as the Tibetan Government in exile, inside of the borders of India.
This government has never been recognized as a legitimate government
There were protests in 2008 protesting Chinese control of Tibet, but little has changed with Tibetan sovereignty over the last 50
years
In 2011, the Tibetan Government in exile elected a prime minister, who took over government control from the Dalai Lama
IN 2013, the Chines government announced a greater crackdown on Tibetan publications that promoted sovereignty
Uyghurs:
This group of Muslims, who are of Turkish descent, live very close to Afghanistan and Pakistan
There has been some violence in the region and there is major ethnic tension, as the Uyghurs want to establish an independent state
Urban-Rural Cleavages
The majority of economic growth throughout China has taken place in the cities
This disproportionate growth has redefined the meaning of “Two Chinas”
There are both economic and social differences that exist between these two regions
Rural areas have more protests because it is often believed that the government is not trying to protect the
peoples interests
Due to these protests, former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao announced a new government emphasis on “a
new socialist country side.” This was instituted in 2006, and was a program designed to lift the rural
economy and close gaps between rural and urban quality of life
Political Participation
Prior to 1949, it was Chinese tradition for people to be subjects of the government, not
participants within the government.
This lack of participation was redefined through the use of mass line
Even with the use of mass line, traditional relationships and beliefs continue to shape the political
process of China
Pushes for democracy, an increase in religious freedom, and community ties over nationalism have also
influenced Chinese politics
Party Participation
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the largest political party in the world in terms of
total formal membership, with about 58 million members
They make up only about 8% of the Chinese population over the age of 18
Only those who are of age, are able to fully commit to the ideals of communism, and are willing
to devote a great deal of time and energy to the party are allowed to join
Party membership is growing in part because of the creation of the Youth League
73 million youths belong to the youth league
Party Participation
During the Maoist era, revolutionary cadres ruled the entire government
These cadres depended on the loyalty and the ideological purity of the party
After Deng Xiaoping took control of the government, technocrats began to take an ever
increasing role within the government
Currently all seven members of the current Standing Committee have academic and professional
backgrounds in technical fields and five of them were trained as engineers
40% of the CCP is made up of members of the peasantry, but they are the single largest group
The fastest growing membership category consists of officials, intellectuals, technicians and other
professionals
In 2001, under president Jiang Zemin, capitalists were able to join the CCP for the first time
Between one quarter and one third of the CCP membership are now entrepreneurs, therefore
changing the idea of what a cadre is
Civil Society
With modern technologies infiltrating Chinese culture, it has become harder for the Chinese
government to stop the flow of information
There has been an increase in the number of private organizations that exist to help fix social problems
There are also some organizations designed to fight the government when the people are being
harmed
This is seen in protests to stop government-sponsored dam projects that would have flooded farmlands and
peasant homes
There have also been efforts by the government to be more transparent, but the government is often
criticized for discussing their plans after it is to late to change anything
There was an increase in the number of NGO’s that existed in the 1990s
These helped religious and non religious groups institute themselves as part of the society
These organizations were however strongly curtailed between 1999 and 2001
Protests
Tiananmen square massacre (1989)
This incident occurred when students pushed for government reform and an increase in civil liberties
These protests were violently put down by the Chinese government
Tibet (2008)
These riots took place to commemorate the failed revolutionary uprising in 1959
The riots became violent after monks demanded the release of other monks who had been detained for
several months
This turned into fighting and riots
Many of these riots took place on the route of the Olympic torch during the 2008 Summer games
Xinjiang (2009)
These riots were sparked by Uyghur dissatisfaction with the Chinese central government’s handling of the
deaths of two Uyghur workers during previous disruptions
Protestors fought with police and the riot had to be put down by the government
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