The oil painting "Xiaogang, The Night Of November 24, 1978" depicts a night scene in a rural farming village in Anhui Province.

That evening, 18 farmers signed an agreement that would change the course of agriculture in China.

The new accord was called "The Household Responsibility System (HRS)."

Before 1978, China practiced collective farming. But food shortages due to drought, lack of incentives and other challenges were persistent.

Farmers began to consider new agricultural models.

The HRS allowed individual households to contract land and machinery to produce their own yields.

Each household sold the government their grain at an official price. But any leftover grain could be sold on the open market at a much higher price.

The Household Responsibility System was authorized by the government and adopted by farmers nationwide.

This independence increased the farmers' enthusiasm and their production.

Between 1978 and 1984, agricultural output in China almost doubled.

The HRS resolved the food scarcity crisis and elevated incomes.

This oil painting commemorating the new agricultural system was created by Wang Shaolun in 1999.

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