ABSTRACT
The Chinese version of civil society, or civil society with Chinese characteristics, is a highly controversial issue in terms of its origins and its independence from the state and the market. It seems that there is no clear line between NGOs, the government, and the market. Although formal law and regulations have been established, the actual actions taken by environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) in China are still relationship-based (i.e., exhibiting relationality). Their action and composition are not entirely separate from government, and sociopoiesis may be an appropriate concept to describe this. In order to characterize this complex system, this chapter attempts to chart the dynamic of the relationships between ENGOs, government, and other actors by using comparative case studies. Two cases will be examined carefully, including a dam-building case in Nu River, Yunnan Province, and the polluted land public litigation case in Jingsu Province.
