In 1999 the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) introduced the Regulation on the Minimum Living Standard Scheme (MLSS, or dibao) for urban residents in China. Policy learning from different parts of the world significantly shaped the formation and expansion of the MLSS, and Chinese social policy researchers have drawn conclusions about the experiences of these multiple regions. Through expert interviews, we discovered that the Chinese social assistance scheme has been influenced by the US ideas of “social investment” and “workfare.” Furthermore, the European values of “universal entitlement” and “social citizenship” have also been internalised by the Chinese actors behind the scheme. In addition, Hong Kong’s social assistance scheme has inspired Chinese policymakers to explore a model consisting of various categories that target the country’s enormous special welfare needs. Thus, scholars and policymakers from China have used values and ideas outside China to create a hybrid model of social assistance that is characterised by broad coverage, a low benefit level, and a highly provincial administrative structure.

"Ancient villages" are rural settlements in China that achieve this classification because of their historic, cultural and architectural values. Nonetheless, while they have long histories and are considered as tourism assets they may also face social, economic, environmental and political problems. This article analyses these issues using a qualitative and quantitative analysis derived from research at Dangjia Ancient Village, Shaanxi, China. It identifies changing patterns in demand and shifts in the modes of meeting those demands - from modes that are individually based to those that are dependent on local government interventions. Much of this change is due to deficiencies in local social and financial capital. Suggestions are made regarding ways to improve the sustainability of rural tourism, which have a wider application on a national and international scale.

As a result of rapid industrialisation in China, rural-urban migrant workers are increasingly susceptible to occupational diseases. Based on the concept of risk society, the occupational disease represents a distinctive industrial risk for migrant workers. However, this issue has been little explored from a sociological perspective, and this article aims to fill this gap by exploring migrant workers responses to occupational disease compensation. Despite the various laws on occupational diseases, migrant workers are generally unable to receive legal compensation. Instead, they have to negotiate with employers informally for private compensation. In addition to suffering physically from occupational diseases, the poor enforcement of public laws creates new social risks for workers, that is, the disadvantaged encounter unjust treatment, judicial injustice and social exclusion because their de jure entitlement is deprived. As a consequence, the laws aimed at protecting workers against accidents and occupational illnesses fail to reduce the power imbalance between employers and employees.