The implication of the word “resource” is not restricted to objective, physical, or tangible substances. More often, people intentionally “discover” new resources when trying to meet specific goals. Recent scholarships on China’s rural governance have mostly dealt with the eastern coastal areas, where collective or private economies are thriving, or the southern villages with conspicuous lineage organizations. This study, with the aim to rediscover common resources for governance, chose a northwestern village as a case, where, at first glance, both the above-mentioned resources are lacking. Major findings include the following:First, unlike the eastern areas, the northwest villages own less discernible common resources including farmland, forest, or school buildings, which local residents have created and maintained through the socialist experiences during the commune era (1960s to 70s). Second, unlike southern China where kinship relationships function as a carrier of people’s memories, the northwest villages share “collective memories”of the socialist past, which can bring resources into present rural governance. Third, rural governance can be seen as a “circulation” process in which these modest ecological or symbolic resources mutually interact.
抄録全体を表示