A collection of stories, telling how seven Chinese individuals navigated their personal transitions during the Chinese state's shift from a state-managed and state-owned, planned socialist economy to one primarily driven by market forces.

This book is a collection of stories telling how seven Chinese individuals navigated their personal transitions during the Chinese state's shift from a state-managed and state-owned, planned socialist economy to one primarily driven by market forces. No other book available illustrates China's market transition through a focus on specific, real individuals as this one does.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Refusing Success, Refusing "Voice": The Other Story of Accumulation - Hairon Yan
2. Tales of a Migrant Renovator in Beijing - Lei Guang
3. The Story of Secretary Wang - Hero, Savior, Liar, Scoundrel - Tim Oakes
4. The True Story of Akheu - Janet C. Sturgeon
5. Through the Social Jungle: Mrs. Zhang and Work - Jean-Louis Rocca
6. The Life of a Former State Worker - Antoine Kernen
7. The Sad Story of Zheng Erji Who Landed in the City Through the Favors Reform-Era Policies Bestowed But Rewrote the Rules While Suffering Wrongs, Once There - Dorothy Solinger.