The entrepreneurs of China are dynamic and contributing positively to economic development, but unlike Western entrepreneurs, they are uncertain and insecure about government policies and their position in society. This book shows that in the history of China and in the politics of the 1980s, all are influenced by culture and have created an entrepreneurial class that is ambiguous and fragile. Yet the entrepreneurs are moving China toward economic development, and this is giving rise to a new economic culture which honors profit-making ventures. The Chinese Communist Party is making room for entrepreneurs and consumers in the economic arena.
The study supports the idea that entrepreneurship is the key to economic development, but it also shows that private entrepreneurship influences government policy and traditional values. It also points out the vital role of the consumer.