Introduction

This chapter introduces the concept of China’s housing middle class which is the key theme of the book. China’s housing middle class is situated in gated communities which represent the privileges of middle class life in urban China today. China’s housing middle class is a concept that highlights the ongoing process of class formation, the impacts of multiple (both housing and other) factors, and the variation in life chances among middle-class members. This chapter explains that China’s housing middle class is featured with “The System” differences, an inequality mechanism that is fundamental to middle-class formation and social stratification in China. “The System” differences are reflected in the heterogeneity of China’s housing middle class, which is the key argument of the book.