Introduction

Since at least 1949, the Chinese state has been rather constrained toward the organization of citizens in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have no strong relation to the state or the Communist Party. While in the late 1960s and early 1970s most of the more industrialized countries experienced the emergence of a strong civil society sector focused on environmental issues, and in many of the industrialized and developing countries similar environmental civil society sectors were formed in the 1980s, China lagged behind. It is only over the past decade, since the mid-1990s, that a blossoming of environmental NGOs (ENGOs) can be witnessed in China. By participating in these ENGOs and in various citizens’ groups, the public begins to play a role in Chinese environmental governance at various levels. Some examples can shed light on the diversity and development of ENGO activities that are evolving at present in China.