| Based on the dataset of "A Comparative study of Social Networks and Mental Health in Hong Kong and Beijing in 2000", this study aims at understanding the rising middle classes in two urban Chinese societies through comparing their patterns of social network and social support. Previous studies on middle classes in Chinese societies overwhelmingly concentrate in their pro-democracy political behavior or their consumption power, while this study attempts to investigate how the Chinese urban middle classes develop their family connections and their social involvements. Whom can they turn to when they need support? And how do they perceive their support? This study systematically compares the social support network between middle classes in two Chinese urban societies, Hong Kong and Beijing. We probe into the relationships among social network, social integration and social support in different socio-cultural contexts, and we also tackle the debates on how Chinese societies transform in the process of industrialization and urbanization. |
