Addresses the relationship among popular attitudes toward democracy, a state's political structures -- parties, elections, & the government bodies to which candidates in these societies are elected -- & the ways in which people participate in politics. It analyzes political consciousness, political institutions, & patterns of participation in three Chinese societies -- Taiwan, Hong Kong, & rural China. Overall the study finds that Chinese citizens in all three societies possess a strong democratic consciousnessness. Given representative structures, these citizens will spread democracy within one of the world's great cultures. Includes 14 tables.