ABSTRACT
The NGOs discussed in this chapter include trade associations (hangye xiehui) and chambers of commerce (gongshanglian or shanghui).1 When the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) ended, NGOs in the economic realm were among the earliest associations to be revitalized and organized, and they have since become the most rapidly rising type of NGO. Given the remarkable growth of non-state-owned enterprises in China’s market economy, the trade associations and the chambers of commerce that serve as nongovernmental intermediaries require special attention in our study of Chinese NGOs and civil society. Two distinct growth patterns have emerged from the experiences of economically oriented NGOs. The first is a bottom-up pattern, in which enterprises, mostly private, create chambers of commerce or trade associations to protect and represent their interests. This has occurred most significantly in some coastal cities, exemplified by Wenzhou, a mediumsize city in Zhejiang province, southeast China. Elsewhere, changes follow a top-down model, in which the government assumes primary responsibility for the organization of industrial and trade associations.
