After the Communist Party came to power in 1949, capitalists disappeared from China's political and economic landscape. As the government launched economic reforms, however, a new generation of capitalists emerged as an economic and social group of considerable influence. Keming Yang examines some crucial aspects of this group's political life: their self image, and their political image; associations; treatment of their employees; relationships with government officials. Exploring the implications of China's political development, Yang considers the notion of 'elite corporatism', and why democracy remains so distant in China's political system.