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For more than a quarter of a century scholars have found the factionalism model a useful starting point for analysing how Chinese elite politics work. The notion of clientelist connections upon which the model is built has also found acceptance and served as the core of a wide range of research. 1 But Lowell Dittmer and other scholars have found various aspects of the model problematic.2 We agree with much of what the critics have said, but not with Dittmer's proposed solution.

For more than a quarter of a century scholars have found the factionalism model a useful starting point for analysing how Chinese elite politics work. The notion of clientelist connections upon which the model is built has also found acceptance and served as the core of a wide range of research. 1 But Lowell Dittmer and other scholars have found various aspects of the model problematic.2 We agree with much of what the critics have said, but not with Dittmer's proposed solution.