A Chinese Economic Revolution: Rural Entrepreneurship in the Twentieth Century

摘要

This book presents the first micro-level case study of the history of modern China's rural industrialization, focusing on Gaoyang, a county in Hebei province famously known for its rural weaving industry. Linda Grove first examines thoroughly the development of Gaoyang's weaving industry in the early decades of the 20th century until its collapse during Japan's invasion of China in 1937, then briefly traces the industry from its recovery in 1945 to its fall in 1953, the period from the end of the war with Japan to the Maoist socialization of commerce and industry, and finally explores extensively the recurrence of the industry in China's reform era. Drawn on a variety of sources from archival materials, historical survey data and oral interviews and fieldwork, Grove has shown how industrialization had occurred and succeeded in rural China in the last century.