ABSTRACT
This essay addresses aspects of the development of China's farm economy since 1978, set against the historical perspective of agricultural change during the previous 30 years. 2 The nature of such a retrospective exercise invites an eclectic approach, which is here reflected in the cursory treatment of some important issues. Only brief consideration is, for example, given to an analysis of farm output and productivity growth, both having been examined in some detail elsewhere. Nor, except en passant and in the concluding comments, are institutional aspects of agricultural reform addressed, these being the subject of two excellent recent analyses. 3 More generally, in what follows I have tried to combine quantitative inquiry, empirical analysis, and reflective comment in order to address the nature, rationale, and impact of China's farm policies during the last two decades.
