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China's Middle Class: Unified or Fragmented?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2013

CHUNLONG LU
CHUNLONG LU*
Affiliation:
Professor of Political Science, and Associate Dean of School of Politics and Public Administration at the China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of Chinachunlonglu@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Based on data collected from a representative-sample survey conducted in five Chinese cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Hangzhou) in the middle of 2008, this study examines the behavioral orientations of Chinese middle class toward the local elections which are held in urban areas, and the attitudinal orientations of Chinese middle class toward the current regime. The results indicate that there is a strong division within the group of the middle class, especially along the lines of the relationship with the state. Therefore, this study suggests that the Chinese middle class is a class without a shared class identity.

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