Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 8, 2025

The Evolution of the “Collective” and the Modern Transformation of Chinese Society

(Abstract)

Meng Qingyan

The “collective” is an important organizational phenomenon for understanding China’s modern social transformation, as well as a pivotal concept through which society’s overall character is revealed. This term acquired institutional form during the widespread implementation of agricultural collectivization after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. A historical-sociological analysis of this concept reveals its vital role in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. The “collective” that emerged in rural society after the 1950s was not without historical precedent: it was rooted in longstanding patterns within Chinese social history, embedded in the trajectory of the international communist movement, and linked to three fundamental dimensions—social reconstruction, economic production, and organizational mobilization. Examining the historical and social conditions that gave rise to the “collective” sheds light on its broader historical significance. It enables us to understand the trajectory of the “collective” both as a state governance system and as an expression of institutional civilization, offering insight into the evolving social processes by which Marxism is being adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.