This collection investigates how the industrial workplace in twentieth-century China functioned as a site of social, political, and economic transformation. Jacob Eyferth and a team of international specialists utilize new case study material to challenge existing narratives regarding labor in China. The volume specifically reassesses the applicability and significance of labor process theory when applied to the unique historical and cultural constraints of the Chinese industrial experience.

Experts identify this work as a significant contribution to the field of Chinese labor history, noting its success in bridging theoretical frameworks with empirical research. Readers frequently highlight the academic rigor of the case studies as a valuable resource for scholars of industrial sociology and modern Chinese history.