This book highlights information obtained from formal interviews and informal conversations with knowledgeable Chinese in 1985-1987. It reveals the growing participation in politics of social groups and related changes underway in the patterns of contemporary Chinese political thought and culture.

1. Introduction 2. The Legacy of the Past 3. The First Wave and Ebb Tide: Search for a New Model (1979-1982) 4. The Second Wave: Ideological Struggle and Policy Breakthrough (1983-1984) 5. The Second Wave: Institutional Changes (1985) 6. Crosscurrents: Problems of Systemic Transition and Political Succession (1985-1988) 7. Conclusion