This paper explores the role of guanxi, particularly in its special form of tunqin, in building rural resilience in a poverty-stricken county in north China. The emphasis of this paper is placed on the nature and function of such guanxi. By presenting how guanxi is maintained, this paper also analyses the impact and effectiveness of local guanxi as a strategy to cope with poverty. Whereas tunqin guanxi appears to have built rural resilience in order to cushion villagers against life's upheavals, the maintenance of rural guanxi diminishes this resilience as scarce resources are spent on the exchange of cash gifts, thus aggravating local poverty.

/pdf/the-role-of-tunqin-guanxi-in-building-rural-resilience-in-5e4a8d8ort.pdf

新乡土中国 = Rural China in the 21 century

The Role of Tunqin Guanxi in Building Rural Resilience in North China: A Case from Qinggang

The voices of Chinese farmers are generally absent in the debate and in the strategies for sustainable agricultural development proposed by government and scholars. This research assess in how far the Chinese governmental strategy for agricultural development and major alternative strategies address the sustainability problems of China’s agriculture in a comprehensive way. In addition, this research assess the perspectives on economic, social and environmental problems and solutions of Chinese farmers from different ages, levels of education, farm household types, and agro-ecological contexts. Finally, we assess the extent to which the Chinese governmental strategy for agricultural development and major alternative strategies address the problems as experienced by farmers from a broad range of contexts, and to determine how such strategies better could account for farmers’ perspectives. We concluded that, to be effective, a strategy for sustainable agricultural development must account for the perspectives and diverse conditions of Chinese farmers.

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/pdf/sustainable-agricultural-development-in-china-an-assessment-2zpsw5h7y7.pdf

新乡土中国 = Rural China in the 21 century

Citations

The Role of Tunqin Guanxi in Building Rural Resilience in North China: A Case from Qinggang

Sustainable agricultural development in China : an assessment of problems, policies and perspectives

References

The Role of Tunqin Guanxi in Building Rural Resilience in North China: A Case from Qinggang

Sustainable agricultural development in China : an assessment of problems, policies and perspectives