Transcending Boundaries

Reviews / Votes

"This wonderful ethnography ... traces the fascinating history of Zhejiangcun's survival and rise to prominence against all odds. This lively tale sheds much light on the tensions between state and society and the sources of economic dynamism in China today. [A]n especially rich ethnography, which could only have been produced by someone who has spent many years on the scene." - Susan Greenhalgh, University of California, Irvine, in: Population and Development Review, 34(1) (2008), 182

"An invaluable contribution to the understanding of state-society relationships in the post-Mao era [and] a brilliant in-depth account of the conflicts caused by imposing a governance system deeply rooted in territorial administration on migrant networks and resources that transcend these territorial boundaries. [...] This is a must-read book for anyone who has an interest in the impact of migration on state-society relationships, and for those who would like a vivid account of how real people are bounded by state control and, at the same time, transcend and change state systems." - Jeong Jong-Ho, Seoul National University, in: The China Journal, No. 58 (July 2007), 132-133

"[A] classic...[one of] the 'must-reads' for the Chinese studies." - Wang Danning, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, in: Asian Anthropology, Vol. 7 (2008), 138-142

"This book is as much about migrants as it is about the Chinese state and society. [...] Xiang's deep understanding of and extensive participation in the community has permitted a view "from the inside out," while also addressing broad questions about state and society. [...] This is an important work based on a solid study of burning questions in Chinese society, and it should appeal to all scholars and researchers interested in migration, rural-urban relations, and/or state and society in China." - C. Cindy Fan, University of California, Los Angeles, in: China Review International, 3(1) (2006), 293-297

"The Chinese version [of the book] has become one of the best acclaimed recent anthropological publications in China. [...] Apart from being an excellent exemplar of ethnographic study of migrant communities and state-society relations, the theoretical insights of the book also make it extremely valuable for scholars in the fields of anthropology, sociology, politics and Asian studies." - Na Liu, University of Manchester, in: Asian Journal of Social Science, 36(1) (2008), 142-143

"A truly significant contribution to the field of Chinese migration studies. [...]When Transcending Boundaries is compared with existing works on overseas Chinese migration, readers will face some unavoidable and creative questions concerning the issue of migration generally, and the conflicts that surround it." - Wasana Wongsurawat, National University of Singapore, in: Population, Space and Place, 14 (2008), 161-162

"Transcending Boundaries is a compelling story about China's post-socialist reforms, which traces a group of migrants from southeast China's Wenzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang province, who eventually established their semi-permanent enclave Zhejiangcun (Zhejiang Village) in Beijing City." - Shu-Min Huang, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in: Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 14 (2008)

"Transcending boundaries is a compelling story about China's post-socialist reforms. By using personal recollections from early settlers in Zhejiangcun, Xiang Biao [...] (re)constructs nuanced, vivid, and often touching narratives." - Shu-Min Huang, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in: Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.), 14 (2008), 702-03