Katarzyna Golik
DOI: lack
Vol no: 9
For centuries, local communities in China have had far-reaching autonomy from the central government, remnants of which can be seen even today. Chinese people still very often quote the classic proverb that the sky is high and power is far away, which perfectly captures the relationship between Beijing and area structures. Traditional social institutions remain very strong, especially clans and guanxi, which at the local level can play a greater role than the official administration.