Reflections on the Developing Civil Service System in China

In the 1980s, China began to implement a civil service system to establish a market-oriented economy and foster reform of the politico-adinistrative system. This modern civil service system was designed to replace the traditional cadre personnel system, which, structured around a centrally planned economy, originated during the period of China's revolutionary struggles. Focusing on this historical transition, this article explores the relations that persists between the two systems and asks how and why the modern civil service system came into being at this time.