Changes with Chinese Characteristics: Rural Clan Culture, Clan Communities, and Kinship Relations During Urbanization

Abstract

This research examines urbanization and its impact on rural clan culture and clan communities, emphasizing normative changes with regard to clan sentiment, family values, filial piety, ancestor worship, decent relations, gender relations, marital relations, patriarchal power, and rituals, which have been long neglected by pioneer studies. As revealed, urbanization has weakened traditional influence among villagers especially the well-educated youths. But the impact is limited in scope and intensity. Migrant workers are still in their rural roots. The current urban development is not sufficient to completely separate them physically and mentally from native clan communities. Traditional culture remains not only in their memory but also in their daily life. China’s urbanization is distinguished from European model thanks to changed technological environment today. New technical conditions in transportation and information make the distance between migrant workers and their villages relatively shorter. Migrant workers’ spiritual communication with their family members, relatives, and local clans is not loosened. Their various links with home-villages do not cut off, but continue to be close and smooth. Urban effects move slowly on them. In the survey, a majority of the respondents expressed traditional viewpoints regarding ancestor worship, xiao (or filial piety), loyalty, clan rituals and clan genealogy, reflecting historical continuity of culture. Although villagers are shifting from the big jia to the small jia, and individualism is rising, jia, being the foundation of the Chinese society and Chinese culture, continues to be of more importance than individuals. Cultural changes bear strong Chinese characteristics.