Chinese society has seen phenomenal change in the last 30 years. Two of the most profound changes have been the rise of the individual in both public and private spheres and the consequent individualization of Chinese society itself.

Yunxiang Yan is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California at Los Angeles.

CONTENTS1.Introduction: The Rise of the Individual and the Individualization of Society2.The Impact of Rural Reform on Economic and Social Stratification in a Chinese Village3.Everyday Power Relations: Changes in a North China Village4.The Triumph of Conjugality: Structural Transformation of Family Relations in a Chinese Village5.Practicing Kinship in Rural North China 6.Calculability and Budgeting in a Household Economy: A Case Study from Rural North China7.The Individual and Transformation of Bridewealth in Rural North China8.Rural Youth and Youth Culture in North China9.Dislocation, Reposition, and Restratification: Structural Changes in Chinese Society10.The Politics of Consumerism in Chinese Society11.Of Hamburger and Social Space: Consuming McDonald's in BeijingNotesIndex