The poverty-stricken mountain areas in South Central China face many challenges on the road to sustainable development in the 21st century. Great progress has been made in alleviating poverty in the past decade: while 15 million people in these areas suffered from extreme poverty in 1989, this number decreased to about 6 million by 1996. Cereal production during the same period increased from 50 to 397 kg per capita. But to break away from poverty and raise the standard of living, the region must now enter a new stage of development. It needs to benefit from the transition taking place from a planned economy to a market economy, especially with respect to new domestic market conditions. There is also a need to raise awareness of the requirements for sustainable development strategies in mountain areas. This will involve industrialization of agriculture, increasing the quality of products in the primary and secondary sectors, developing the service sector, improving infrastructure for transport and trade, and letting the market determine resource use rather than vice versa. The following introduction to the region and its problems is complemented by recommendations for enhancement of economic strategies in the mountain areas shared by Chongqing Municipality and the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou and linked by the Yangtze and its tributaries.