1. Introduction Part I. To 1949: 2. The Yangzi Delta ecosystem 3. Commercialization and family production 4. Commercialization and managerial agriculture 5. Commercialization and involutionary growth 6. Peasants and markets 7. Imperialism, urban development, and rural involution 8. Two kinds of village communities Part II. After 1949: 9. restructuring the old political economy 10. Collective, family, and sideline production 11. Growth versus development in agriculture 12. Rural industrialization 13. Capitalism versus socialism in rural development 14. Peasant-worker villages Part III. Conclusion: 15. A summing up 16. Some speculations Appendixes References Character list Index.