ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the broad cultural differences in the way mainland Chinese understand their public sector. It shows how the distinction between public and private plays itself out in the political arena. The chapter then reviews how the concept of the public has changed in the course of the last ten years of economic reform and political stalemate. Finally, it reviews the structure and history of the unofficial mass movements that have arisen to fill a void experienced in the post-revolutionary public arena, culminating in the confrontation and crackdown at Tiananmen. The chapter represents a climactic synthesis of many of the tendencies unleashed during the foregoing reform of the Chinese public sphere; Tiananmen brings that reform to a crossroads. It then discusses the structure of political publication, the impact of reform, and spontaneous political activism. The chapter also discusses Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976.
