Villagers Autonomy seen through Election of Villagers' Committee Members

A case study of an ethnic Korean village in northeast China

Abstract

This paper examines the present situations and recent changes of villagers autonomy in Shanpung Cun, an ethnic Korean village in Northeast China. Based on the case study of this village, the ways in which villagers' committee members are elected will be clarified both in terms of their formal procedures and real state of affairs. Also, the criteria for election to the committee members today will be compared to the traditional way of electing leaders, which has existed in these hamlets since their foundation. The findings from this research are as follows. First, the relationship between the villagers' committee and the hamlets has been investigated. Secondly, it has been confirmed that the elections largely follow the forms and traditions that had been common before. Thirdly, the village and the villagers' committee have chosen to adopt the election criteria so that they may be able to cope with drastic changes in their everyday lives. Finally, it has become clear that, due to the power structure within the hamlets, the achievement of democracy still remains to be seen in the pursuit of villagers autonomy in this village.