Introduction

Summary

The Introduction outlines the historical, social, and cultural background of business in China since the economic reforms commencing in the late-1970s. The empirical material regarding entrepreneurs and business in present-day China deployed in this book is described, and an account of the research methods employed in acquiring it is outlined and discussed. In addition, the Introduction provides a detailed summary of the six chapters that constitute this book, including a preliminary discussion of the issues treated throughout. By presenting select examples of fieldwork findings, discussed in the context of a broader background indicated in official and related sources of data, as well as findings and theories presented in the published literature, the Introduction details the range of substantive issues that are treated in and which are the focus of each of the six chapters to follow.