Abstract: The basic characteristic of minimalist governance is “semi-formal or informal governance”, and its operation relies on the boundaries between the state and society, and autonomy of the primary-level organizations. Minimalist governance, whether it follows the traditional way or modern path, is a kind of adaptation to local conditions, a semi-formal or informal governance, as well as an entity governance that highlights the effectiveness of governance rather than unnecessary formalities, when compared to formal bureaucratic governance. As it does not utterly rely on the power of the national bureaucracy, this kind of governance is simple and efficient, hence “minimalist”. The key solution to primary-level formalism lies in the policy implementation, the autonomy and autonomy space, so that primary-level organizations can play the political integration function of the Party committee and the corresponding simple governance capacity, thus well performing a role of mediator. To well understand Chinese path to modernization from the perspective of “social basis”, comprehending the modernization of its rural governance has very important practical and theoretical significance. To achieve Chinese path to modernization, we need to learn not only from the West, but also from Chinese tradition and practical experience.

Key words: minimalist governance, primary-level autonomy, informal governance, Chinese path to modernization