History Rhymes
The Shou-Fang Cycle in Chinese Politics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6076091 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sungmin Cho (0000-0001-8947-9983, Sungkyunkwan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Chinese Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1080-6954 • E-ISSN: 1555-7898 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11366-025-09919-4 |
| OpenAlex | W4411467209 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
Scholars have recognized an oscillating pattern of political tightening and loosening in China’s political orientation, also known as the shou-fang cycle. Despite frequent references, the concept has not been subjected to scholarly scrutiny. This study critically examines the concept of the shou-fang cycle and discusses its utility in the study of Chinese politics. I argue that the shou-fang cycle should be understood as a historical concept rather than a theoretical one. The shou-fang cycle entails the problems of complex multicausality and the uncertainty of factional politics to be used for causal analysis. However, it still provides valuable insights into Chinese politics and can be utilized to formulate more hypotheses than would be possible otherwise. It provides historical context for the structural challenges that Xi Jinping has been faced with in particular. Building on Gaddis’ and other literature that compare political science and history, this interdisciplinary study contributes to advancing the dialogue between the two fields
China · Economics · Epistemology · Fang · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Scrutiny · Sociology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Philosophy
Cracking the China Conundrum
China's Political Economy in the Xi Jinping Epoch
Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion
The Macro Polity
The Economic Vote
The Land Scape of History
Central–Local Relations
Overreach
Burying Mao
The Rise of the Princelings in China
Does China’s Case Falsify Modernization Theory? Interim Assessment
A Strong Leader for A Time of Crisis
China’s America Policy
History, Theory, and Common Ground
Too Important to Leave to the Other
International Relations Theory and the End of the Cold War
The Modernization of Factionalism in Chinese Politics
China's Changing of the Guard
Why the confusion? Reasons and remedies for shortcomings and progress in modernization theory
The Logic of Historical Explanation in the Social Sciences
How China’s citizens view the quality of governance under Xi Jinping
A State-Led Nationalism
The Study of Critical Junctures
Economic voting in Latin America
Making the List
The Political Impact of Economic Crisis in Latin America in the 1980s
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |