Recent state-led urbanization initiatives in China have drastically transformed Chinese rural society - closing the urban-rural divide as well as redistributing wealth and altering the flows of social mobility. In this study Jiabao Sun asks: who are the winners and who are the losers in this process?

This book uses two case studies of different modes of state-led rural urbanization - in the villages of Tianjin and Zhejiang - in order to assess the impact on the livelihoods of the villagers, as well as the success of the development initiatives. By focusing on the villagers capabilities, assets and support provided this study examines the imbalances of rural redistribution at three levels: among social groups, among villages and between the rural-urban divide.