Knowledge Workers in Contemporary China

Jianhua Yao received his doctoral degree in sociology from Queen’s University, Canada, and his research interests include political economy, media and communication, and labor issues.

• Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsList of TablesAbbreviationIntroductionKnowledge Workers in China’s Publishing IndustryClass Consciousness of Knowledge WorkersChinese Media Workers and EditorsResponses and UnionsResearch QuestionsMethodsArchival StudiesSurveysSemi-structured InterviewsWhat Makes the Two Publishing Houses SpecialBasic Interview QuestionsSupplementary InterviewsOrganization of the BookChapter 1 Political Economy, Media Reform, and Knowledge WorkersPolitical EconomyWhat Is Political EconomyCentral Qualities of Political EconomyMedia ReformThe Party Principle and the Propaganda ModelMedia CommodificationMedia DemocratizationKnowledge WorkersLabor and Class AnalysisLabor and GlobalizationLabor and UnionsConclusionChapter 2 The Commodification Process: Publishing Reform in ChinaThe Commodification ProcessChina’s Media ReformBackground of the Chinese Media ReformChina’s Publishing Industry ReformAdministrative Management of China’s Publishing IndustryPublishing Industry LawsChanges in China’s Publishing IndustryThe Advertising Industry in ChinaPrecarious Chinese EditorsBasic Information of the SurveysContingent EmploymentThe Decline of Social Welfare BenefitsIntense Work PressureConclusionChapter 3 The Structuration Process: The Five Critical ProblemsThe Five Critical ProblemsTechnological Changes in ChinaFollowing the Party Principle in the Media Marketization ProcessThe Rise of Market CompetitionStrict Party ControlThe Growing Tension within the Propaganda-Commercial ModelThe Marketization Process in the Social Welfare SystemChanges in the Pension SystemChanges in the Health Care SystemSmashing of the Work-unit SystemThe Inner Division of the Working ClassDivisions between Editors and Leader0Inner Divisions of EditorsConclusion: Social Changes, Class Relations, and Power DynamicsChapter 4 The Spatialization Process: Globalization, Neoliberalism, and the Global Division of LaborGlobalization and the Chinese Publishing IndustryTransnational Media Corporations in ChinaChinese Publishing Exports in the Global Media SphereChinese Publishing ConglomeratesNeoliberalism and Chinese EditorsThe Twin Modalities of the Neoliberal GovernmentalityChina’s Accession to the World Trade OrganizationThe Global Division of Labor and Chinese EditorsThe Emergence of the Global Division of LaborThe Impact of the Global Division of Labor on Chinese EditorsConclusionChapter 5 Labor Convergence: Worker Organizations and Trade UnionsLabor ConvergenceWorker OrganizationsThe Publishers Association of ChinaThe Publishers Association of ShanghaiTrade UnionsTrade Unions as “Transmission Belts”The All-China Federation of Trade UnionsThe Labor LawRethinking of Worker Organizations and Trade UnionsLimitations of Worker Organizations and Trade UnionsLabor UnrestProspects: How to Better Represent Workers’ Rights and InterestsTechnological DevelopmentsChanges inside the All-China Federation of Trade UnionsThe Emergence of Labor Non-governmental OrganizationsConclusionConclusionSummaryContributionsTheoretical SignificanceMethodological SignificanceSubstantive SignificanceSuggestions for Future ResearchReferencesAppendix A Original Survey QuestionsAppendix B Interview OutlineAppendix C Interview Questions for Editors and Union OfficialsAppendix D Interview Participants

Despite the growing volume of western commentary on the turn to the market in China’s media industries we still know surprisingly little about the impact of change on media work. Jianhua Yao’s detailed study of the publishing industry in Shanghai, one of the pivotal nodes in China’s knowledge economy, is a notable and welcome exception. Combining available data with questionnaire surveys and personal interviews, he unpicks the consequences of commercialization and globalization for the organization of work places, careers, and everyday lives, and explores the ways workers are responding and resisting. His analysis of the new knowledge precariat is a must-read for anyone interested in the transformation and future of creative labour in China.