This introduction to Chinese society uses the themes of resistance and protest to explore the complexity of life in contemporary China. The book draws on perspectives from sociology, anthropology, psychology, history and political science and covers a broad range of issues including women, labour, ethnic conflict and suicide. This newly revised third edition adds three new chapters on gender and the family, the reform of the Hukou system and village governance thus providing a comprehensive resource for both undergraduates and specialists in the field, encouraging the reader to challenge conventional images of contemporary Chinese society.