The volume examines the newly adopted Chinese government policy designed to aid the development of China's western regions.

Preface; 1. The campaign to 'open up the West': national, provincial-level and local perspectives David S. G. Goodman; 2. The emergence of the campaign to 'open up the West': ideological formation, central decision making and the role of the provinces Heike Holbig; 3. Staged development in Xinjiang Nicolas Becquelin; 4. Qinghai and the emergence of the West: nationalities, communal interaction and national integration David S. G. Goodman; 5. Shaanxi: building a future on state support Eduard B. Vermeer; 6. Sichuan: driving capitalist development Westward Christopher A. McNally; 7. Chongqing: opportunities and risks Lijian Hong; 8. Building a Southern dynamo: Guizhou and state power Tim Oakes; 9. The mobilization of 'nature': perspectives from North-West Yunnan Ralph Litzinger.