Yangtze River Delta Small Farmer Households and Rural Development

Author: Huang Zongzhi (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: During the vibrant process of commercialization and urban development in China's advanced region, the Yangtze River Delta, from 1350 to 1950 over six centuries, as well as the 30-year collectiveization and agricultural modernization process from 1950 to 1980, small-scale peasant agriculture in the Yangtze River Delta remained at subsistence level for a long time. It was only in the 1960s that qualitative development truly emerged in the rural areas of the Yangtze River Delta, enabling farmers' incomes to significantly surpass the level required for mere survival. This book aims to explore the processes and reasons behind the long-term persistence of subsistence agriculture among farmers in the Yangtze River Delta, as well as the processes and reasons for its transformation. It will focus on analyzing the living conditions of farmers rather than the gross income of the entire economy or per capita income for the entire population. The emphasis is on the development and underdevelopment of a specific region and social class, and its significance for the overall history of China, as well as for various academic theories concerning the social and economic aspects of farmers.