Based on sociolinguistic analysis methods, theoretical analysis or empirical research was conducted on 39 keywords related to rural reform, peasant behaviour and peasant politics in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The research content covers the period from 1949 to the first decade of the twenty-first century. The research content includes changes in the rural policies of the People's Republic of China, changes in rural systems, organisations and behaviour in the era of collectivisation, and peasants' reactions and behaviour in the face of national policies.This book focuses on four aspects: the meaning of words themselves in Chinese, their meaning in contemporary Chinese political life, how peasants understand and practice the elements and connotations contained in words, and how words themselves change, transform or even disappear.This book will appeal to scholars of peasant politics, Chinese affairs, and contemporary Chinese history; undergraduate and postgraduate students of history, sociology, and political science; and the general reader interested in Chinese rural areas and Chinese politics. Chinese political societies in English-speaking countries, Chinese or East Asian research centres, universities or libraries may also be interested in this book.

Liu Jinhai is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the China Rural Research Institute/Higher Research Institute of Political Science, Central China Normal University. He mainly engages in research on peasant politics, Chinese politics, and political science theory. His works include Property Rights and Politics: Village Experience from the Perspective of State, Collective and Farmer Relations (2006),Village Economy: Employment and Income Increase of Peasants in the Dabie Mountains (2007), Socialized Small Peasants: Historical Background, Evolutionary Logic, and Limitations of Tension (2015), Compiled Understanding Rural China: A Keyword Perspective (2020).