Wenzhou Suspense

Author: Hu Hongwei / Wu Xiaobo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: The basic framework of this book is as follows:
Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 provide a general description of Wenzhou's 20-year reform journey;
Chapter 3 discusses the rather subtle interaction between Wenzhou's new generation of entrepreneurs and politics;
Chapter 4 explores the impact of a unique marginal community on the existing social governance order;
Chapter 5 traces the evolution and challenges of Wenzhou's financial experiments;
Chapter 6 outlines the survival state of Wenzhou intellectuals;
Chapter 7 describes the emerging rhombus wealth structure in Wenzhou;
Chapter 8 tells the story of democracy emerging from the grassroots alongside socio-economic development;
Chapter 9 focuses on government officials and social governance structures amidst the wave of marketization;
Chapter 10 is an open-ended dialogue, comparing the Wenzhou model with the Su'an model and drawing some fresh conclusions.
In this renowned Chinese region where private economies thrive, as two long-term observers of the "Wenzhou phenomenon," the authors aim to present a qualified answer. They argue that the process of China's reform is a model of incremental change. Various social elements and conflicts coexist and integrate through confrontation, and new balances are achieved through the adjustment of new interest relations. This can be described as coordination or compromise. In short, social conflicts have not been escalated. A crucial prerequisite is that China's reform does not sacrifice the interests of any specific group. In Wenzhou, as well as in the broader Chinese reform ecosystem, all interest groups benefit from the reform. This should be a shared understanding, for only in this way can the Chinese people face future social order transformations with a more composed mindset.