China’s township enterprises, promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, have developed on the basis of the handicrafts industry and the processing of agricultural products and by-products. They have flourished since 1978, becoming the mainstays of the rural economy. In 1999, 2,500 billion yuan in industrial output value was produced by the township enterprises, and the value of exported commodities came to 720 billion yuan. Now there are more than 20 million township enterprises in China, having 125 million employees.

The Institutional Transition of China´s Township and Village Enterprises: Market Liberalization, Contractual Form Innovation and Privatization (Studies on the Economic Reform of China)
 Hong Yi Chen, Hongyi Chen
EDITION: Ashgate Publishing Company; (February 2000)
This book offers a widespread explanation of China´s successful rural industrial development and contains all relevant informations about the township and village enterprises.