This study is based on the context of rural governance. Moreover, popular participation is an important factor influencing the effectiveness of rural governance. However, the current situation in rural China shows that the so-called innovations or models that are constantly introduced at the local level are based on the old institutional logic, which is a continuation, consolidation and strengthening of the traditional community management system of the state. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of popular participation on rural governance. Three villages (communities), Madong, Xingle and Huanglian, in Shunde, Guangzhou, were selected for the case study. The research questions were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through four research methods: literature review, on-site observation, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The results of the research showed that the transition from authoritarian to participatory governance in China is the direction of development for the transformation of village governance, but the issue of transformation of village governance is first and foremost a question about the construction of a subjective society, or the transformation of participatory community governance only after the removal of society's dependence on state power.

Suyuan Shi. Research on Popular Participation in Chinese Rural Governance——the Case of Shunde, Guangdong. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2022) Vol. 5, Issue 2: 86-92. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2022.050212.

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