A study of rural societal policies in the People's Republic of China since 1949. The book presents a narrative of the development of agricultural policies in China from the land reform of 1950-3 to the present, emphasizing the organizational structures and the social implications of agricultural, collectivisation in co-operatives and communes. Rural, societal policies are analysed in the context of intra-party conflicts since the late 1950s. In the conclusion, an attempt is made to evaluate the social and economic performance of rural policies in the PRC during the last three decades.