A plethora of new actors has in recent years entered China’s environmental arena. In Western countries, the linkages and diffusion processes between such actors often drive environmental movements. Through a study of Chinese anti-incineration contention, *Chinese Environmental Contention: Linking Up against Waste Incineration* investigates how the different contentious actors in China’s green sphere link up, and what this means for environmental contention. It addresses questions such as: What lies behind the notable increase of environmental protests in China? And what are the potentials for the emergence of an environmental movement? The book shows that a complex network of ties has emerged in China’s environmental realm under Hu Jintao. Affected communities across the country have connected with each other and with national-level environmentalists, experts and lawyers. Such networked contention fosters both local campaigns and national-level policy advocacy. Beyond China, the detailed case studies shed light on the dynamics behind the diffusion of contention under restrictive political conditions.

[Maria Bondes](https://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/team/bondes) is an associate research fellow at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Institute of Asian Studies in Hamburg, Germany. Her research centers on social activism in China with a focus on environmental contention.

List of Tables and FiguresList of AbbreviationsPreface CHAPTER 1: An Emerging Network in China's Green Sphere - Towards an Environmental Movement?IntroductionNetworked Contention: Horizontal and Vertical Linkages and the Diffusion of ContentionMethods and DataCHAPTER 2: A Burning Issue - Waste Incineration in ChinaA "Golden Age" of Chinese Waste Incineration: Policies and Economic IncentivesCritical Voices: The Chinese "No Burn" CommunityA Wave of Local Resistance: Local Community Contention against Waste IncineratorsCHAPTER 3: Learning between Homeowners - The Urban Case of Beijing AsuweiSetting the Stage: Waste Incineration and "Homeowner" Resistance in BeijingFor the Broader Public Good: The Case of Beijing AsuweiAnalysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages in the Asuwei CampaignCHAPTER 4: Making the Most of External Linkages - The Rural Case of Panguanying VillageWith a Little Help from their Friends: The Case of Panguanying VillageAnalysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages for the Panguanying VillagersCHAPTER 5: The Limitations of Linkages - The Peri-Urban Case of Beijing's Dagong Village"Resistance is Futile": The Case of Dagong VillageAnalysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages in the Dagong StruggleCHAPTER 6: Conclusion - Networked Contention: No Longer Fragmented, Not Yet a Movement Environmental Actors Linking Up: Implications for Local Anti-Incineration Contention in ChinaBeyond Localized Struggles: Networked Contention and the Prospects of a Broader Movement Beyond Waste Incineration: Linking Up as Broader Trend in Chinese Environmental Contention Beyond China: Networked Contention, Linkages and Diffusion in a Restrictive Political SettingAppendicesAppendix I: List of InterviewsAppendix II: List of Cited DocumentsAppendix III: Basic Information on Collected CasesAppendix IV: Brief Description of Sample and Central Background Cases Appendix V: Case Protocol TemplateReferencesIndex