China is far larger and more diverse than many people in the West realize. "China's Provinces in Reform" studies the impact of economic reform and social and political change within China's provinces, which are considerable social, economic, and political systems in their own right. One of the main aims of this book is to question over-generalizations about China's development in the reform era. This is the first volume of a series and covers Guangxi, Hainan, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Sichuan and Zhejiang. It is part of an ambitious project, conducted by the Institute for International Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney, that will provide the most thorough and up-to-date analysis of China's provinces yet published.