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Party Building in Urban Business Districts: organizational adaptation of the Chinese Communist Party

2015; Routledge; Volume: 24; Issue: 94 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10670564.2014.975957

1469-9400

Zhang Han,

Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics

AbstractIn order to consolidate its membership basis and maintain its political leadership in the non-state sector of the economy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been rebuilding its primary party organizations (PPOs) in China's urban business districts. Since residents' committees are either weak or do not exist in many urban business districts, local party authorities create umbrella party organizations to foster and territorially restructure PPOs. Four general models of establishing umbrella party organizations can be found, and the CCP has been building its 'service-oriented PPOs' to accommodate the needs of the business world. While such party building strategies demonstrate the resilience and adaptability of the CCP, they might also pose potential risks to the Party. Notes 1. Samuel P. Huntington, Political Order in Changing Societies (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006), pp. 420–432. 2. 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For one of the earliest discussions on the importance of PPOs by CCP leaders, see Chen Yun, 'Lun dang de zhibu' ['On party branches'], in Zhonggong zhongyang wenxian bianji weiyuanhui [Party Literature Compilation Committee of the Central Committee of the CCP], eds, Chen Yun wenxuan:1926–1949 nian [Selected Works of Chen Yun (1926–1949)] (Beijing: Renmin chubanshe [People's Publishing House], 1984), pp. 79–89. 9. For a review of the waning of the danwei system and its impacts on China's changing urban social landscape and the challenges to the CCP's social and organizational basis and identity, see Lance Gore, The Chinese Communist Party and China's Capitalist Revolution: The Political Impact of Market (Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2011), pp. 100–103.10. David Shambaugh, China's Communist Party: Atrophy and Adaptation (Washington, DC and Berkeley, CA: Woodrow Wilson Center Press and University of California Press, 2008), pp. 129–136.11. 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Dai Wenying, 'Buduan kaichuang fei gongyouzhi qiye dangjian gongzuo xin jumian' ['Continue to create new prospects for party-building in the non-state sector'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 6, (2011), p. 24.24. Zhang Weifang and Xu Yufen, 'Woshi "gongtui zhixuan" shouge shangquan dangwei banzi'; Shen Zhaohui, 'Chuangchu yipian jiceng dangjian xin tiandi' ['Broaden the horizon of party-building at the grassroots level'], Ningbo ribao [Ningbo Daily], (29 January 2011), pp. A1, A10.25. Chen Yijun, 'Yi siwei chuangxin tuidong chengshi jiceng dangjian xin fazhan' ['Promote new developments of grassroots-level party-building in urban areas through innovative thinking'], Jinri Zhejiang [Zhejiang Today] no. 22, (2009), p. 36.26. Zhu Junbei and Lin Jinkang, 'Quanshi shouge shangquan tuanyuan lianluozhan chengli' ['The first business district liaison station for CCYL members was established'], Ningbo ribao [Ningbo Daily], (21 October 2008), p. A3.27. Weng Yu, 'Tianyi shangquan gonghui lianhehui ji diyici daibiao dahui shengli zhaokai' ['The Tianyi Business District Federation of Trade Unions was founded and held its first representative assembly'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 9, (2009), pp. 17–18.28. Yuan Fengxia, 'Tianyi shangquan funü gongzuo weiyuanhui chengli' ['The Tianyi Business District Committee of Women's Affairs was founded'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 5, (2010), p. 11.29. Dai Wenying, 'Tianyi shangquan tansuo yi dangqun lianxihui wei zhuti tuidong quyu shehui guanli' ['The Party–Mass Liaison Committee explores the road for promoting territorial social governance in the Tianyi business district'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 5, (2011), pp. 20–23.30. Ningbo Haishu qu fazhan yu gaige ju [Ningbo Haishu District Bureau of Development and Reform], 'Guanyu tongyi tianyi guangchang dangyuan fuwu zhongxin de fuhan' ['Approval letter regarding the Tianyi Square Service Center for CCP Members'], (2008).31. Weng Yu, 'Tianyi shangquan gonghui lianhehui ji diyici daibiao dahui shengli zhaokai'.32. Jiang Weiwen, 'Shenru xuexi shijian kexue fazhanguan tuidong shangquan dangjian gongzuo zai shang xin taijie' ['Further the study on the scientific outlook on development, promote party-building in business districts'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 10, (2009), p. 8.33. Zhang Weifang and Xu Yufen, 'Tianyi guangchang jiang jian daxing dangyuan fuwu zhongxin' ['A large-scale service center for CCP members will be built in Tianyi Square'], Ningbo riabo [Ningbo Daily], (27 June 2008), p. A01.34. Yuan Fengxia, 'Moqing dishu liqing silu gaijin fuwu "silianqiangji" cutui kexue fazhanguan jianzhu xingdong' ['Probe the reality, clarify idea, improve service, the campaign of "liaison with districts, enterprises, social organizations and CCP members to consolidate the CCP's membership basis" is taking action to implement the scientific outlook on development'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 9, (2009), pp. 6–7.35. Yuan Fengxia, 'Jiji fahui tianyi guangchang dangyuan fuwu zhongxin pingtai zuoyong, qieshi jiaqiang shangquan dangyuan jiaoyu guanli' ['Actively use the Tianyi Square Service Center for CCP Members as the platform to enhance the education and management of CCP members in the Tianyi business district'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 10, (2009), pp. 4–8; Shan Lijun, 'Tianyi shangquan dangjian gongzuo jizhi yanjiu' ['A study on the party-building mechanism in the Tianyi business district'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no.10, (2009), pp. 22–24.36. Interview, 5 July 2010.37. Yuan Fengxia, 'Jiji fahui tianyi guangchang dangyuan fuwu zhongxin pingtai zuoyong, qieshi jiaqiang shangquan dangyuan jiaoyu guanli'; Shan Lijun, 'Tianyi shangquan dangjian gongzuo jizhi yanjiu'; Yuan Fengxia, 'Dangjian: tianyi shangquan yizhang yaoyan de xin mingpian' ['Party-building: a new dazzling business card of the Tianyi business district'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 12, (2009), p. 6.38. Interview, 17 October 2011.39. Interview, 17 October 2011.40. 'Dangjian fuwu kaiqi shangquan xin shidai: Haishu qu Jiangxia jiedao danggongwei' ['Party-building services draw business districts into a new era: the Party Working Committee of the Jiangxia Street Office in Haishu District'], Ningbo tongxun [Ningbo News Report] no. 6, (2010).41. Weng Shanshan, 'Kaiqi xinxi tiaojian xia jiceng dangjian gongzuo xin jumian', pp. 7–8.42.Ibid., p. 6.43. Dai Wenying and Wang Lu, 'Tianyi shangquan shuzihua pingtai yinling "kaifang shi" dangjian xin hangbiao' ['The digital platform in the Tianyi business district takes the lead in "open-style" party-building'], Fengling tianyi [Leading Tianyi] no. 7, (2011), p. 20.44. Huntington, Political Order in Changing Societies, pp. 420–432.45. See Bruce J. Dickson, Red Capitalists in China: The Party, Private Entrepreneurs, and Prospects for Political Change (Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003).46. 'Zhongzubu: Zhonggong dangyuan yu 8000 wan, gao xueli dangyuan shuliang wenbu zengzhang' ['Central Organization Department: the total of CCP members exceeds 80 million, the number of CCP members with high educational qualifications increases steadily'], (25 June 2011), available at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-06/25/c_121582325.htm (accessed 16 August 2013).47. 'Zhengzhiju: jishi chuzhi buhege dangyuan, shishi zongliang kongzhi' ['Central Politburo: purge unqualified CCP members timely, control the total of CCP members'], (29 January 2013), available at: http://www.dzwww.com/xinwen/guoneixinwen/201301/t20130129_7959216.htm (accessed 16 August 2013).48. For a discussion on the CCP's potential transformation towards a 'socialist cartel-type political party' as a result of its expanding recruitment, see Patricia M. Thornton, 'The new life of the Party: party-building and social engineering in Greater Shanghai', The China Journal no. 68, (2012), pp. 75–78.49. Zheng Yongnian, 'Interest representation and the transformation of the Chinese Communist Party', Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies no. 16, (2002), pp. 57–85.50. Samuel P. Huntington, 'Social and institutional dynamics of one-party systems', in Samuel P. Huntington and Clement H. Moore, eds, Authoritarian Politics in Modern Society: The Dynamics of Established One-Party Systems (New York and London: Basic Books, 1970), pp. 3–47.