China's middle class - Assignment Example

Within the discourse of this study, the role of the middle class in the political affairs and other national revolutions have been highlighted like the most recent protest of 2012 against the expansion of a petrochemical plant in Ningbo city. Furthermore, the study also puts forward reflections on a comparison between the middle class of China and other capitalist countries as well as an evaluation of Chinese middle class and Asian countries. China’s Middle Class Resistance against the Expansion of a Chemical Plant On October 28, 2012 thousands of Chinese people clashed with the police in an anti- government demonstration against the expansion of a chemical plant- a petrochemical factory in Ningbo city.

According to the protestors, the chemical plant would risk the lives of common people while damaging the health of the public because of the increased chances of pollution. As a result of this protest, the government indulgence and concession in the matter indicate its motivation to meet the demands of the rising protestors (Wong, 2012). This scenario also indicates a leadership transition which may prove to introduce a new rule in the Communist China. Since 1990s, various other similar events of resistance have been occurred in urban areas like Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.

Sometimes, homeowners’ resisted for their interests or emerging middle class stood against authoritarian regimes. Whatever, the reasons were, the ultimate goal was to bring change within existing political framework. In this regard, the role of the middle class cannot be denied at any level. Their role is most often regarded as a significant driving force towards democratization especially in a non- democratic- authoritarian regime (Dolven 2003, pp. 35- 37). So, here the matter of concern is that who is considered the middle class of China and how they are rising to bring forward a change?

Who is the Part of Middle Class in China? Basically, middle class of china involves a section of households who have annual income between $10,000- $60,000. While cost of living in this region of the world greatly varies, however, by a rule of thumb a person is supposed to be a part of middle class if he/ she is able to spend one third of his income at his own discretion. The middle class of China is concentrated, mostly, in big cities where educated people can find better opportunities to maintain the standards of their lives.

In this way the middle class is enjoying stable jobs at one end like white collar professionals as well as serving in multinationals and some people also offering their services in state owned corporations. Most of the people forming this section of society belong to age group between 25 and 45- the active population group of the society who wants to boost their lives on the same footings as Americans and European nations have gone through. However, this middle class section in China just appeared in the last 20 years because of continuous economic growth and infrastructure development.

This economic growth has developed a new social group that can enjoy, relatively, better facilities and higher income. The people of this section can own their property like cars and houses as well. Simply speaking, this group owns a societal stratum that is laying above the ordinary working class, however, still not the wealthiest (Dolven 2003, pp.