ABSTRACT
Land is not only the essential element in farming, but it is the guarantee of a livelihood for rural people and the key element governing social stability and harmony in rural areas. This chapter looks back at how China's existing system evolved, and then analyzes the primary characteristics of the system and their major problems. The chapter focuses on five aspects: the confirmation of and certification of property rights, the contractual method of operating land, the way in which "residential-use land" is managed, the issue of creating a market for land that is "owned" by rural collectives, and reform of the system by which land is requisitioned [or expropriated] in rural areas. It then puts forth a basic way of thinking about all these issues and proposes countermeasures to deal with the issues. Based on all this, the chapter discusses how to advance reform of the system that governs collective property rights in China's rural areas.
