Civil Society in China

This book contains in-depth, first-hand data on Chinese civil society’s interaction with the central government. As field research in China has become increasingly difficult over recent years, such a book based on intensive fieldwork and rich in empirical data is particularly rare. This book is written by both an academic and a former staff member of a Chinese NGO. The experience of full-time work at NGOs in China revealed the limitations of civil society, especially the legitimacy crisis, which many researchers have missed or not emphasized enough in their work. This book covered the most recent development in Chinese civil society after Xi Jinping took office, focusing on the impact of the Charity Law, the Law on Overseas NGOs, and the recent development in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, labour movement, and COVID-19. Most previous research on Chinese civil society has focused on material and institutional factors to explain the success or failure of NGOs. This book demonstrates the power of meaning-making in civil society group communication with the government. This book shows that social movements theorists should not only consider how civil society organizations and movement leaders frame their arguments to achieve resonance among the population; it shows that it is also important to consider how they frame their arguments toward the ruling elite if their goal is to influence policies.