Developing the Commons: Models of Rural Land Trust in China

In recent years, experiments on land trusts (xin tuo) have been made in the rural areas of China. To better understand such practice, this research identifies four case studies based on their operational structures and divides them into government-led models and market-led models. The government-led models include the Yiyang Model in Hunan Province, and the Longgang Model in Hubei Province. The market-led models include the Suzhou Model in Anhui Province, and the Golden Field Series Model in Jiangsu Province. This paper compares their profit-sharing mechanisms with specific attention given to the incentives for the villagers. Findings suggest that the villagers’ profits are limited in both models. The government-led models concern less about profits but more on reusing the desolated agricultural land. The market-led models are profit-driven therefore tend to exclude the villagers from the profit-sharing process.

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