Consultancy: A Different Gate to the Field

Abstract

Consultancy has emerged in Chinese studies in recent years as a new gate into the field. The aim of consultancy fieldwork is to work and engage with local actors, train local officials, and provide knowledge and resources for local projects. This type of fieldwork involves frequent trips to villages, towns and townships, or urban residential committees, and scholars and experts are required to attend work meetings on concrete policy and planning, which are quite different from academic workshops or conferences.