Book contents
- Urban Revolution
- Cambridge Studies in the History of the People’s Republic of China
- Urban Revolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1A New Page in the History of Daily Life
- 2Politics for a Transitional Age
- 3The Gender of Labor
- 4The Barbers of Beijing
- 5Foreclosing on Liberation
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Foreclosing on Liberation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2026
Book contents
- Urban Revolution
- Cambridge Studies in the History of the People’s Republic of China
- Urban Revolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1A New Page in the History of Daily Life
- 2Politics for a Transitional Age
- 3The Gender of Labor
- 4The Barbers of Beijing
- 5Foreclosing on Liberation
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 5 examines the demise of urban collectivization after 1961. While the production side of urban communes had its problems, it remained economically profitable; it was communal welfare services (canteens, childcare, etc.) that were deemed to be wasteful and dysfunctional and were eventually disbanded, and this could not but have disastrous consequences for female labor and the project of female liberation. Many workers, newly subjected to the double disciplining of industrial labor and family chores, protested these closures, and archival sources convey their dismay and their vocal criticism, which highlighted the continued devaluation of female workers and of their labor, both in the home and in the factory.
Information
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- Chapter
- Information
- Urban RevolutionPeople's Communes in Beijing, pp. 201 - 250Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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