No Left-behind Kids, No Left-behind Old People

UNSWChinese Studies Seminar Series – UNSW, Sydney

No Left-behind Kids, No Left-behind Old People: Findings of an anthropological investigation in an out-of-the-way Chinese village
Dr Zhong Yong, UNSW

4pm-5:30pm, Friday 16 October 2015,
Morven Brown 209, High Street, Gate 8

This presentation will discuss the findings of a case study conducted in 2015 in an out-of-the-way village in Yunnan Province. The case study was triggered by a pilot study discovering that “left-behind” children and old people, two major problems endemic in rural China, were not found in this village. Designed to confirm this prior finding and also to identify the solutions adopted to address the two problems, this case study used anthropological methods and carried out an investigation, finding that four aspects of village development contributed to this atypical sample in rural China. These include: a) adequate investment in and building of infrastructure, b) development of livelihood security, c) enriched after-work spiritual and recreation community life, and d) stable family structure/relations and ethnic heritage. The findings of the case study generate an in-depth insight into rural China especially with regard to the real causes of and possible solutions to the current major problems.

Dr Zhong is Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at UNSW. He conducts research on learning and teaching, translation studies, media and communication studies and education economics.