Social Constructionism and the Significance of Political Rumors in Contemporary China: Weapons of the Weak.

Rumors are a set of collective discussions used by cadres or the masses to attain specific goals. Both political elites and the general public reveal their dissatisfaction or concern with the Chinese Communist Party regime through the dissemination of politically charged rumors, fueled by the party-state system's habit of withholding information and amplified by traditional Chinese superstition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]