The township2 government is the most basic level of government in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Township officials are often referred to as ‘parent officials’ (fu mu guan) in rural China since they are supposed to take care of all the needs of the residents living under their jurisdiction. The overwhelming majority of residents living in townships in China are peasants. Chinese peasants have experienced ups and downs in the reform era. They benefited greatly from the abolition of communes and the adoption of the ‘household responsibility system’ in the 1980s. Their living conditions were significantly improved in the 1980s. However, conditions in many rural areas of China suffered stagnation and even a deteriorating economy in the last two decades. The rural-urban income gap has grown to become the largest one in the last 30 years.3 Worsening economic conditions in rural China have been exacerbated by static local governmental structure and lack of political reform. Limited democratization such as village committee elections introduced in the late 1980s has not proven effective in solving many rural problems. As a result, rural instability remains a major concern for the central government.