FF:KSCB065 Social Problems in Contemporar - Course Information

KSCB065 Social Problems in Contemporary China

Extent and Intensity

0/2. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Bc. Denisa Hilbertová, M.A. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Bc. Denisa Hilbertová, M.A.
Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Bc. Denisa Hilbertová, M.A.
Supplier department: Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts

Timetable

Tue 12:00–13:40 B2.32, except Mon 20. 4. to Fri 24. 4.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 18/25, only registered: 0/25

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Chinese Studies (programme FF, B-CS_) (3)

Abstract

The aim of the course is to enable students to understand the fundamental social problems of the contemporary People's Republic of China and their historical causes. The course focuses on the structure of Chinese society, social transformation since 1949, the impact of economic reforms, current challenges facing the Chinese government, and the response of Chinese society.

Learning outcomes

Students will learn:

    to analyze social problems using interdisciplinary methods (political science, sociology, anthropology, modern history),

    to work critically with primary and secondary sources,

    to discuss and present different interpretations of social phenomena in China,

    understand the connections between state policy and the everyday lives of Chinese citizens.


After completing the course, students will:

    Understand the main social problems of the contemporary PRC (inequality, migration, healthcare, education, ethnic policies, gender, environmental justice, etc.).

    Be able to explain the historical and political causes of these problems.

    Be able to critically analyze professional texts, statistical data, and media narratives about China.

    Be able to present arguments and formulate their own opinions based on relevant sources.

    They can identify the relationship between government policy and the everyday lives of Chinese citizens.

They have the ability to work in a team and create a small research project on a social issue.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Key topics

1. Introduction to the course: introductory facts about China and regional differences

Contents:

    Basic facts: political system, ethnic structure, economic development.

    Regional differences between provinces: wealth, urbanization, industrialization.

    Differences between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tier cities, western vs. eastern provinces.

Required reading:

Time to bridge North-South gap within China https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/28/WS63fd4012a31057c47ebb1243.html

https://www.isdp.eu/publication/xi-jinping-and-the-administrative-hierarchy-and-subdivisions-in-china/

https://archivemacropolo.org/analysis/powerful-provinces-regional-political-economic-china/?rp=e

Recommended reading:

    Saich, Tony – Governance and Politics of China.

    Goodman, David S. – China’s Regional Development.

    Naughton, Barry – The Chinese Economy.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

2. Environmental issues and public health

Contents:

    Air, water, and soil pollution.

    Chemicals, toxic industrial zones.

    Climate change in China.

    Resettlement of populations due to infrastructure and environmental projects (三峡大坝, "cancer villages").

    Unequal access to healthcare.

Required reading:

Extreme weather poses threat to people's health https://epaper.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202411/11/WS67314aa8a3105c25b38ed9f3.html

Jianglong Li, Guanfei Meng,
Pollution exposure and social conflicts: Evidence from China's daily data,
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management,
Volume 121,
2023,
102870,
ISSN 0095-0696,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102870.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069623000888)

Recommended reading:

    Economy, Elizabeth – The River Runs Black.

    Tilt, Bryan – Dams and Development in China.

    Hsiao, William – Reform of China’s Health Care.

3. Chinese Population I: Demographics, Aging, One-Child Policy

Contents:

    Impacts of the one-child policy (1979–2015).

    Low birth rate and aging population.

    Economic impacts of the demographic crisis.

    Access to health care in an aging society.

Required reading: 

Population decline won't hold China back https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202408/26/WS66cbe14ea31060630b924e99.html

Birth support policies target demographic changes  https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/30/WS68895886a310c26fd717c616.html

https://michiganross.umich.edu/news/new-research-finds-china-s-one-child-policy-boosted-female-entrepreneurship

https://www.ageing.ox.ac.uk/blog/Why-did-not-the-abolition-of-the-One-Child-Policy-in-China-increase-the-fertility-rate

Recommended reading:

    Fong, Mei – One Child.

    Banister, Judith – Population Policy and Demographic Change in China.

    Whyte, Martin King – One Country, Two Societies.

4. Chinese Population II: Gender and Family Structures

Contents:

    Discrimination against women (preference for sons, gender imbalance).

    "Leftover women" (剩女) and pressure to marry.

    "Left-behind children" (留守儿童).

    Marriage markets (相亲角).

    Social changes in family structures.

Required reading:

https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202508/01/WS688c1b0ba310c26fd717ceab.html

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202503/01/WS67c25c7ea310c240449d7f49.html

Gui, T. (2020). “Leftover Women” or Single by Choice: Gender Role Negotiation of Single Professional Women in Contemporary China. Journal of Family Issues, 41(11), 1956-1978. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X20943919

Recommended reading:

    Fincher, Leta Hong – Leftover Women.

    Evans, Harriet – The Subject of Gender in China.

    Jacka, Tamara – Rural Women in Urban China.

5. Sexuality, relationships, and the sex industry in China

Contents:

    The history and present state of prostitution.

    "Second wives" (二奶), mistresses of political and business elites.

    Dating, marriage, the phenomenon of modern Chinese romance.

    The commodification of love in cities.

Required reading:

China intensifies crackdown on prostitution, gambling https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202502/21/WS67b7e016a310c240449d6812.html

Tiantian Zheng,  Ethnographies of Prostitution in Contemporary China,  Palgrave Macmillan New York, 2009 (chapter to be specified)



6. Education and pressure to perform: gaokao and social mobility

Contents:

    Access to education – private × state schools.

    Gaokao (高考) as the key to success in life.

    Pressure on children and parents (the phenomenon of "tiger mothers," competition).

    Informal education, sports, talents.

Required reading: 

Gaokao not only way to be successful… https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/12/WS6871b498a31000e9a573b9d7.html

Record 13.42m Chinese students take fiercely competitive gaokao http://www.china.org.cn/china/2024-06/07/content_117241788.htm



7. Work, migration, and the "world's factory" (Made in China I)

Contents:

    Migrant workers (农民工), their legal status, and living conditions.

    Life in factories (Foxconn, electronics, textiles).

    Inequalities between urban and rural areas.

    The "empty countryside" and the exodus of young people.

Required reading:

Day in the life of migrant workers –https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina///2014-11/04/content_18865051.htm

Around 300m migrant workers in China -https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202505/20/WS682c743ba310a04af22c08c0.html

Hairong, Yan. New Masters, New Servants: Migration, Development, and Women Workers in China. Duke University Press, 2008. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11hphh4 (chapter to be specified)


8. Urbanization, housing, and the real estate crisis (Made in China II)

Contents:

Rapid urbanization after 2000.

    The real estate bubble, Evergrande, access to housing.

    Megacities, gentrification, and "ghost cities."

    Social impacts of high real estate prices.

Required reading:

The future of China's 'ghost cities' https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201507/03/WS5a2b46f5a310eefe3e99f54a.html

Xinhua News:  China's property market braced for quality-of-life shift in next 5 years

Housing policy and markets in China: Affordability and sustainability:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2024.09.002

9. Minorities in the PRC: politics, religion, language

Contents:

    The status of minorities, official nationality policy.

    Tibet, Xinjiang, Tu-jia, Mongols.

    Religious policy (Christians, Muslims, Buddhists).

    Language policy and minority education.

    Discrimination and cultural assimilation.

Required reading:

52 ethnic minorities have their own spoken languages in China https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202106/24/WS60d42694a31024ad0bacb4b1.html

Godbole, Avinash. “Stability in the Xi Era: Trends in Ethnic Policy in Xinjiang and Tibet Since 2012.” India Quarterly 75, no. 2 (2019): 228–44. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48509421.


10. Social unrest, human rights, and censorship

Contents:

Dissidents and civil society.

The most notable cases of protest from the 1990s to the present.

Censorship mechanisms and media control.

    The criminal justice system, consequences of activism, and repression.

Required reading:

China's Law-Based Cyberspace Governance in the New Era — https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202303/17/WS6413a396a31057c47ebb4f0f.html


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/24/alarming-rise-in-regional-internet-censorship-in-china-study-finds

Kanugonda, Kashwini. (2025). The Impact of China's Internet Censorship on Its Citizens. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). 14. 455-458. 10.21275/SR25201153218.

11. Digital surveillance: Social Credit System and social networks

Contents:

    Social Credit System – reality vs. myths.

    Surveillance technologies (AI, facial recognition).

    Social networks: WeChat, Weibo, Douyin.

    The impact of the internet on consumption, interpersonal relationships, and social tensions.

Required reading:

China moves to improve social credit system https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202406/05/WS6660246fa31082fc043cb137.html

China enhances social credit system https://english.www.gov.cn/policies/policywatch/202504/02/content_WS67ed3c1dc6d0868f4e8f165d.html

Peng, Chun. “Building a High-Trust Society: Lineage, Logic, and Limitations of China’s Social Credit System.” China Review 24, no. 3 (2024): 107–37. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48788931. 

Zhao, H., & Liu, T. (2025). China’s social credit system and the family: Punishment and collective resistance. Economy and Society, 54(1), 49–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2024.2422187



12. Crime and the informal economy

Contents:

Triads and organized crime.

Organ trafficking – reality vs. propaganda.

    Corruption at the local and central levels.

    Anti-corruption campaigns after 2012.

Required reading:

China sentences former anti-graft official to 15 years for..https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202512/03/WS693021dca310d6866eb2cb87.html

Wedeman, Andrew. “The Dynamics and Trajectory of Corruption in Contemporary China.” China Review 22, no. 2 (2022): 21–48. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48671498.

Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching

Seminar, discussion, student projects

Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements

Long-term projects (assessed, group work)

1. Research project (main course project)

Format: groups of 2 students (10 groups)
Output: argumentation outline and sources used plus 20-minute presentation

Possible topics:

    The lives of migrant workers

    The real estate crisis and ghost cities

    Gender inequality in the labor market

    Leftover women: stories and media image

    Educational reforms in the Tibet Autonomous Region

    Social media and censorship during COVID-19

    Demographic crisis: why is there no baby boom?

    Prostitutes in southern China – social and economic factors

    Care for the elderly in an aging society

Environmental protests after 2005

Corruption among local officials: causes and effects

Organ sales in China – reality vs. myths

The course also includes a bibliography, work with foreign sources, and presentations with discussion.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further Comments

Study Materials

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