Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.5, 2018

 

The Village Governance Experiment: The Developmental Pattern and Logic of Rural Grassroots Democracy in China

(Abstract)

 

Ma Hua

 

Against the background of traditional Chinese rural self-government and the historical changes in rural grass-roots democracy over the last century and more, three “village governance experiments” revolving around “institutions,” “organization” and “capability” reflect the developmental patterns and practical logic of rural grassroots democracy in China. First comes the developmental modality, moving from the traditional peasant consciousness of being subjects of the emperor, through awakening to their rights pre-1949, to post-1949 political mobilization and thence to the building of the democratic capability of autonomous farmers; and from traditional village “autonomy” to pre-1949 rural reconstruction and thence to post-1949 rural collectivization, village self-government, and finally consultative democracy. The second is practical logic: rural grass-roots democracy has succeeded step by step in the unification of democratic values and democratic techniques, the unification of democratic objects and democratic subjects, the unification of democratic systems, organizations and capabilities, and the effective unification of democratic construction and governance efficiency. In the final analysis, the practice and development of rural grassroots democracy in China is a two-way interaction between the internal needs of rural society and the construction of a modern state. This democratic pattern has developed in the tension between the state and society and has been advanced in the subtle balance between “moderation” and “excess”, thus reflecting distinctive Chinese characteristics.