大陸農村傳統的親緣關係在近半世紀以來的社會變革中，經歷了來自外部的衝 擊和自身的變遷過程。其中變遷最主要的動因來自以階級劃分為基礎的共黨鄉村政權的建 立，以及土地改革、人民公社和文化大革命等歷次的政治運動。上述事件和變動從組織結 構上取代了傳統關係的社會調控與管理功能；在經濟上削弱了家庭、宗族的生產經營職能 ；同時以強大的輿論宣傳動搖人們的觀念意識，從而使世代沿承的傳統處於表面的斷裂狀 態。改革開放以來，由於家庭再度承擔主要的生產經營職能，也由於政治控制的放鬆和基 層組織在功能上的弱化，當然更由於親緣相同的文化心理結構根深蒂固，使得家庭關係的 依賴再度增強，並導致村落家族的複甦及其功能的重建。在農村新的經濟結構發展過程中 ，親緣關係是信任結構建立的基礎，也是實際獲取新源的重要途徑，尤其在當前農村正式 行政力量弱化的同時，更增加村落家族的凝聚力。村落家族是中國農村傳統的組織特徵， 資料證明，隨著聯產承包責任制的推行，家庭或家族的作用又趨向活躍。村落家族作為中 國歷史上長久發展過程的一種社會關係形態，是漢族文化難以分割的一部分，村落家族的 出現與持續存在，滿足了漢人自身的歷史感與歸屬感，是不會被人為地消滅掉。即令在逐 步現代的大陸農村，它仍會適應農民的傳統觀念，而仍有生存與發展的空間。隨著村民自 治的發展，村落之間的廣泛聯繫，經濟力量的互通有無，等等因素，家族權威或許也將是 個過渡性的現象，傳統性權威或神聖性權威或都會向合法性權威移轉，惟其前提是多數農 村社區能獲得真正的民主與自治。

　　　　　Village clans were the major production as well as social units in traditional rural China. Their role began to change after the CCP seized power on the Chinese mainland in 1949. In the past half a century, the Chinese Communists waged a series of political movements-including the land reform movement, the people's commune movement, and the Cultural Revolution-all of which underlined the importance of class struggle. Through these struggles, village clans could demonstrate little importance in social control and production management. Moreover, the hereditary system was also forced into discontinuation, at least on the surface. Not until the initiation of the reform and opening-up policy at the end of 1978 did village clans resume some of their previous functions. For example, under the system of "contracted responsibilities with payment linked to output," individual families have had greater autonomy in undertaking economic activities. Meanwhile, due to looser political control, members of the same village clan began to feel greater need for mutual reliance. This feeling becomes stronger as individual production units have been provided greater autonomy. Village clans have long existed among the Han people and they are expected continuously to develop even though the rural areas have been gradually modernized. As connections and the need for mutual supply among villages continue to increase, the authority of clans in Mainland China's rural areas is expected to be Replaced by the rule of law, especially once when the democratic system is established on the mainland.