ABSTRACT
Civil society is conventionally understood to be an intermediate space between the state and the private realm of the family. Three overlapping aspects of civil society include the public sphere (public spaces where people can meet and exchange views); associations such as churches, hobby groups, and networks of friends and former classmates, which are the vehicles through which people participate in the public sphere; and autonomous individuals with their rights, views and participation in associations and the public sphere. China has experienced dramatic transformations in the public sphere, associational life and individual lifestyles and perspectives, and these have in turn interacted with recent changes in the form and content of the media. This chapter looks at the interactions between each of these three components of civil society and changes in the media.
