3 SOCIAL CHANGE

This chapter provides a sketchy description of three decades of social changes in China since 1978. The economic reform has re-configured the basic insti-tutional make-ups of state socialist China: the household registration system (hukou), the work unit system (danwei), and the cadre-worker status dis-tinction in the urban labor force. The changes of these intermediate institutions not only reflect social structural changes per se, but also serve as the keys to understanding the dynamic social life in China. Based on gov-ernment statistics and other scholars ’ research, the paper highlights the impact of the changes and continuities of these institutions on individuals’ life chances and social stratification in contemporary China.