The Difference between Rural and Urban China by Wright

Wright (2003) looks at three generations of a Chinese Village and indicates the irony of the Rural Revolution by pointing the differences between life in the urban areas and the village. According to Buoye (2002), the gap is larger today than it was at the start of the revolution. Wright provides a vivid narration of rural life in Guizhou Province and the difficulties faced by needy families. The irony is seen from the differences in customs and living standards in urban and rural areas. In spite of the rural revolution starting from the village, the areas have lagged behind with urban areas having better and improved living standards. It is ironical that the rural areas have remained poor to, as portrayed by Wright (2003), that it is difficult for children to get a decent education.

The issue of Divorce

Zhang (1989) article is a portrayal of the quest for happiness as opposed to staying in the marriage. Thus, Southwell-Lee (2013) points out that much has changed in society with the status of women changing. During the 80s and 90s, people choose personal happiness, especially for high-income women. The article points to how women always faced the question of why are you not divorced since they were surrounded by many divorcees. The report further notes the changes in financial ability as one of the sources that led to divorces during the time. Primarily, people preferred singlehood. The question in the article on divorce tries to examine reasons for staying in marriages since being divorced was seen as a quest for personal happiness. In essence, at that time divorce was a popular initiative even in the media.

References

Buoye, T. M. (2002). China: adapting the past, confronting the future. University of Michigan Press.

Southwell-Lee, M. (2013). Women with Money, Women with Minds: Social Status, Gender and Marriage Choices among Elite Urban Women in Contemporary China.

Wright, D.B. (2003). The Promise of the Revolution: Stories of Fulfillment and Struggle in China’s Hinterland. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Zhang, X (1989), ‘”How Come You Aren’t Divorced Yet?”‘, in Perry Link, Richard Madsen, and Paul G. Pickowicz (eds.), Unofficial China: Popular Culture and Thought in the People’s Republic(Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press), 57-71.