Abstract:

The Theory of Legitimacy deals with the legitimacy of folk societies and the legitimacy of governmental authorities. In the times of governing the state via laws， why would the local government recognize the illegitimate Grassroots Chamber of Commerce in Jujie? On the one hand， the Principle of Justice sees the legitimate foundation of that organization； on the other hand， the local government has sensed the crisis in the legitimacy of its own authority. Now temporarily hanging above the laws， the local government and folk society are supplementing their own imperfect legitimacy， respectively， in their interaction so that free but effective spacetime conversion of the “illegitimacy” and “legitimacy” within the legal framework is accomplished. The authority of the local government and the rights of a folk society can benefit each other during reorganizing the social order and coexisting. The research on the Fujie experience reported in this paper shows that the crisis in the legitimacy of the local government’s authority and the crisis in the legitimacy of folk organizations are in fact two sides of just one problem. Only with both sides’ cooperation and grant of the legitimacy to the other party can each get out of its own temporary predicament.

Key words: compromise on justice, crisis of legitimization, legitimacy