THE LIMITS OF MARKET TRIUMPHALISM IN RURAL CHINA

China's contemporary paradox springs from spectacular economic growth built upon a foundation of environmental degradation. Combined with ra pid social stratification, serious challenges to the state's legitimac y result at a time when its ability to meet the needs of the broad maj ority is constrained by both structural and political limitations. The se contradictions will become increasingly apparent as more critical a ssessments are made of the reform era. The agrarian sector, through ar ticulation into new markets, is being transformed through short-term p ractices that emphasize individual income over long-term sustainable d evelopment. Using a multi-level analysis, this paper illustrates these issues through village and household case studies in northeast China, contextualized within a brief overview of the reform era, and China's rapidly changing global position. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.