Township Enterprises
Township enterprises are cooperatives of various forms and individual-owned businesses located in the countryside. They can be rural collective economic entities or businesses run by farmers in towns and villages. Such enterprises began to boom across the country in the 1980s along with rural reform.
In March 1984, the central authorities renamed all the businesses formerly belonging to production teams or people's communes "township enterprises." In terms of ownership, they were run by townships, villages, groups of households or individuals, and their businesses covered agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, construction, commerce, catering, repairs and other services.
Township enterprises boomed from 1984 to 1988. Their growth slowed down from 1989 to 1991, during which many of them adjusted their structure to tide over the difficulties. Then there came a second boom period from 1992 to 1994, and a large number of big or medium-sized enterprises and modern corporate groups emerged. Since 1995, township enterprises have maintained steady growth.
In October 1996, China adopted its Law on Township Enterprises to better regulate the planning and management of these rural businesses. Since then, the state has adopted a series of major measures to encourage a large number of rural businesses to engage in agriculture, and to promote their transformation and upgrading by developing agricultural resources and tapping the potential of agriculture. The government has supported their innovative development, in the expectation that innovation will lead to startups, startups will create more jobs, and more jobs will bring higher incomes, which will boost rural revitalization and the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
Township enterprises were another miracle created by Chinese farmers in addition to the household contract responsibility system. While growing into a major component of China's economy, particular the rural economy, these enterprises have reduced the rural areas' reliance on agriculture and helped farmers attain prosperity. Various models have emerged in developing local businesses, such as those created in southern Jiangsu Province, Wenzhou of Zhejiang Province, Gengche Town of northern Jiangsu, and the Pearl River Delta region. These models offer new approaches to solving issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and help promote rural China's industrialization, urbanization and modernization.
乡镇企业
乡镇企业，就是中国乡镇地区多形式、多层次、多门类、多渠道的合作企业和个体企业的统称，即农村集体经济组织或者农民投资为主，在乡镇（包括所辖村）开办的承担支援农业义务的各类企业。20世纪80年代以来，随着中国农村改革的深入，乡镇企业异军突起，迅速发展。
1984年3月，中共中央、国务院在转发农牧渔业部《关于开创社队企业新局面的报告》的通知中，开始把原来的社队企业改称为乡镇企业，赋予乡镇企业以不同于社队企业的新的性质和内容。从所有权上看，乡镇企业包括乡镇办、村办、联户办、个体办等企业。从门类看，乡镇企业包括农业、工业、交通运输业、建筑业以及商业、饮食、服务、修理等企业。1984年至1988年乡镇企业进入第一个全面发展的高峰期。1989年至1991年，在三年治理整顿期间，乡镇企业发展速度减缓，许多企业苦练内功，调整结构，渡过了难关。1992年至1994年是乡镇企业发展的第二个高峰期，涌现出一批大中型企业和现代化企业集团。1995年以后，乡镇企业进入稳步发展的时期。1996年10月，《中华人民共和国乡镇企业法》正式出台，标志着中国乡镇企业的规划和管理走上了法制轨道。此后，国家在“三农”方面采取了一系列重大措施，吸引大量乡镇企业回归农业，聚焦农业资源开发，彰显农业特色优势，促进乡镇企业转型提升。中共十八大以来，国家按照“基在农业、惠在农村、利在农民”原则，推进乡镇企业创新发展，逐渐形成以创新带创业、以创业带就业、以就业带增收的良好局面，为实施乡村振兴战略、实现农业农村现代化发挥重要作用。
乡镇企业是中国农民继家庭联产承包责任制后的又一伟大创造。乡镇企业深刻地改变了农村经济单纯依靠农业发展的格局，加快了农民致富奔小康的进程，已成为农村经济的重要支柱和国民经济的重要组成部分。全国各地在兴办企业的实践中，创造出了一些具有地区特色的模式，如苏南模式、温州模式、耿车模式、珠江模式等，为解决好农业、农村、农民问题，推进中国特色农村工业化、城镇化、现代化探索出了一条新路。
