Gao village in Jiangxi province is where the author was born and raised. Here he offers his own account of the village before and after land reform, and though an academic work, he uses personal stories to examine the commune system, the impact of the market economy and migration to urban areas.

Gao village in Jiangxi province, is where the author was born and raised. His account is in every sense one from the inside. Although written as an academic work, it does not eschew personal stories and experiences and relevant to the themes addressed: the village before and after land reform; the commune system; the dismantling of the communes; and the unfolding impact of the market economy, including growing villager migratory patterns towards urban areas, from the late 1980s onward.