New social stratification and the emergence of new elites in China's countryside

My fundamental hypothesis is that relatively successful economic reforms are bringing about rapid social change. This transformation is expressed by trends towards privatization, social stratification, urbanization, migration, geographic mobility, the emergence of new elites, regionalization and change of values. The changes in the structure of ownership are leading to a new social stratification and to the generation of new local elites. This process is most evident in rural areas. Although there have always been processes of social stratification since 1949, there are massive differences between the forms of stratification before and after the reform process. Before the reform, stratification was based primarily on political criteria, today it is based on economic premises. The new rural elites primarily include successful entrepreneurs who have become wealthy. Party officials, or persons with family ties to more important rural cadres make up a substantial proportion of the more powerful private entrepreneurs or the economic elite. However, the cadres will remain the political decision-making elite on the local level. Economic power alone does not automatically result in more political clout. But those with economic power are striving for participation and for political power. Among other things, this endeavour is to assert economic interests and to increase social status. The discussed changes in the power structure on the local level constitute a basic change in the political system. This article demonstrates this development primarily at the township (Zhen) and village level, based on the results of a field study in seven townships in China in 1993 and 1994.