The growth of Chinese professionals: a new middle class in the making

Abstract

This chapter describes the growth of professional workers in the context of the expanding higher education system and the improving economic structure in China, especially since the late 1990s. Based on the analyses of data from the census/mini-census supplemented by the 2010 Chinese General Social Survey, the chapter illustrates the demographic profiles, socioeconomic positions, and political orientations and participation of Chinese professionals and compares them with managers, as the two groups form a major part of the emerging new middle classes in China.