Although Mao Zedong stated that people\u27s democracy was the surest way to maintain the Chinese Communist Party\u27s popular base, the idea of implementing elections at the village level was unheard of during the Mao era. The post-Mao era, however, has brought monumental changes in China\u27s political, economic, and social structures. These changes have increased rural instability among China\u27s peasants who consist of nearly 75% of China\u27s total population. Indeed some of the most profound changes and instructive lessons in China\u27s contemporary history have come from the countryside
