The mission of the Paul and Marcia Wythes Center on Contemporary China is to advance the study of contemporary China at Princeton University and to provide substantive analysis from social science perspectives of the dramatic sociological shifts taking place in China today.  Some of the most prominent examples include features of Chinese society, such as work organizations, the education system, the urban/rural divide, migration, social inequality, marriage and family, ethnicity and religion. Other examples include China’s fast economic growth, its nascent democratization efforts, and technological advances. The emphasis is on understanding social phenomena in China within its historical, cultural, political and economic context. We achieve this in part through the efforts of the annual Global Seminar and various courses. Such study will not only help us understand China, but also other societies elsewhere, including developing and developed countries.