China’s economic reforms have brought the country both major international clout and widespread domestic prosperity. At the same time, the reforms have led to significant social upheaval, particularly manifest in labour relations. Each year, several thousand disputes break out over working...

1. Introduction -- 2. Chinese fair work law from 1912 to 1978 : creation and destruction -- 3. A second start : the re-creation of labour market and legal institutions from 1978 to 1994 -- 4. The Labour Law of 1994 : structuring modern Chinese work regulation -- 5. After the Labour Law : crisis...