ABSTRACT
Located where the Tibetan Plateau meets the Yellow Earth Plateau of China's Northwest, Hezheng is a county within the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in the south of China's Gansu Province. Hezheng County's greatest natural resources are its abundant flora, with the area hosting more than 200 species of tree, 174 species of wild flowers and 205 species of wild herbs. Mammal fossils have long played a part in the local Hezheng economy. To better understand the operation of the multi-ethnic economy at the local level, interviews were conducted with local Hezheng-based entrepreneurs in July 2014. Local identity is growing in importance as an identifier for China's citizens, and minority nationalities in particular. Hezheng's Muslims, primarily Hui and Dongxiang, represent over half its total population. Interviews conducted with entrepreneurs in Hezheng, along with anecdotal evidence, suggests that many of the most successful businesses in Hezheng simply did not exist less than ten years ago.
