State and Peasant in Post‐Revolution China

Abstract

The Reach of the State: Sketches of the Chinese Body Politic, by Vivienne Shue. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1988. Pp.ix + 175. $25.

This new book by Vivienne Shue posits that the reach of the Maoist state in the Chinese countryside was very short indeed: that the state never decisively penetrated the Chinese village and its peasant mentality. This review article challenges Shue's claims, and provides evidence to show that the Maoist state's grip on village affairs - politically, economically, and normatively ‐ was, in fact, excruciatingly tight.

Notes

Contemporary China Centre, Research School of Pacific Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia