Both SMU Associate Professor of Sociology Forrest Zhang and Associate Professor of Political Science John Donaldson concur with the Chinese government's decision to retain its two-tier land tenure system, a key factor behind China's rise as an Asian powerhouse. The SMU researchers’ extensive survey of rural households and qualitative data analysis has suggested that most farmers consider the Household Responsibility System (HRS) to be more egalitarian than private land ownership, but it is also possible for the current land tenure system to support a modern farming sector. The duo’s research in the provinces of Fujian, Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong and Yunnan showed how the farmers’ collaboration with agribusiness companies has transformed their small-scale farms into vertically integrated and large-scale farms that cater to both domestic and export markets.