Village Production and the Self Identification of Village Communities : The Case of Fangshan District, Beijing (Chinese Folklore Studies : Toward Disciplinary Maturity)

Abstract

With the transformation of the urban-rural market system in the late Qing (1644–1911) and Republican periods (1912–1949), farmers in the rural hinterland of Beijing began using the agricultural slack season for handicraft production or coal mining. These activities diversified the economy from farming to include the production of special commodities. This article advances the concept of village production to examine both the modern transformations of village economic activities in this area and the villagers’ experiences of integration into a larger market during the process. By highlighting these shared embodied experiences, this perspective will contribute to the study of China’s rural society through understanding how the changes in village production played a role in constructing the villagers’ self-identification with the village community.