The present study investigates the nature of markets and market development in China. It is made up of an introduction, conclusion, and five additional chapters. Each of the chapters focuses on some aspect of markets, institutions, and/or the interactions of the two as they relate to China, with most dealing principally with the development of markets in a specific part of China, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. The author invested nearly three years of his life in Yiwu, developing relationships, carrying out interviews, and investigating the nature of market-related change in this part of China. In addition, he also had the opportunity to visit a number of other marketplaces throughout the nation. The works in the volume are the outcome of both his experiences and resulting research, and display the key roles of institutions, identities, particular individuals, and markets, themselves, in defining development.