Abstract: Fei Xiaotong's Peasant Life in China is a classic work in the international anthropology circle, and it is also the foundation work of Chinese sociology and anthropology studies. Until today, the influence of Peasant Life in China has been enduring, and its significance is often studied and paid attention to by the academic circles. Regarding the significance of Peasant Life in China, the academic circles have carried out researches from many aspects and have come to such conclusions as it brings anthropology study focus from "primitive societies to civilized ones", creating the "Chinese school of sociology study" and the research method of community survey, etc., but its significance in terms of scientific knowledge has been neglected in academia. From the perspective of scientific knowledge, the knowledge about Chinese peasants' lives in Peasant Life in China is vivid and detailed "natural knowledge" instead of "normative knowledge", which stems from Fei Xiaotong's on-the-spot community survey, and plays a balancing role in gradual continuation and development of social changes.

Key words: Peasant Life in China, scientific knowledge, normative knowledge, social changes, rural industrialization