CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OF THE U.S. PARTY SYSTEM Shi Fengyan（27） This essay is an introduction to the Chinese translation of Clinton Rossiter's Parties and Politics in America. It describes the continuity and change of the political party system in the United States in the 30 years since Rossiter's book was published, with particular emphasis on the decisive impact of the political culture on the basic characteristics of the U.S. party system.