Asset Building in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China: In-Depth Interviews With Participants in the Hutubi Pilot Study

Asset-building concepts are being explored by the Chinese government as a possible avenue for socioeconomic reforms that are responsive to President Jintao HU’s calls for scientific development and for a focus on the countryside. We present documentation of an asset-building pilot project in Hutubi County, located in the rural Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. In-depth interviews were conducted with randomly selected program participants to gain a sense of how the program affects individuals and development. The experiences of six families from the region involved in asset building are related in this report. From these experiences, asset ownership is seen to lead to the following positive effects: A cycle through which new asset owners take steps to acquire additional assets; improved financial skills; and a more positive and stable socioeconomic outlook.