This volume thoroughly analyzes several important aspects of today's China: economic changes, the search for a social compact in urban China, the identification of new social conflicts that coexist in the dialects of control and cohesion, and the problem of nation building and collective identities. The authorship is largely made up of renowned scholars of China from Europe, and there are also contributions from authors from the United States, Mainland China and Taiwan.

Taciana Fisac is Titular Professor of Chinese Language and Culture, and Director of the Centre for East Asian Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. She has published several books and many articles on contemporary Chinese society and culture, focusing mainly on literature, intellectuals and gender issues. Leila Fernández-Stembridge is Associate Professor of Chinese Economy and History at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. She is also Visiting Professor at the China-Europe International Business School in Shanghai. She has published extensively on China's labour market, rural-urban migration and macroeconomic development

Part I Economic Perspectives and State-Owned Enterprise Reforms Part II Reshaping the Social Compact in Urban China Part III Social Conflicts, Control and Cohesion Part IV Nation Building and Collective Identities