This article explores the nature and varying forms of professional learning communities in rural Gansu, one of China’s poorest provinces, in northwest China. The authors use qualitative and quantitative data. They draw on survey data collected in primary schools serving 71 villages in rural Gansu Province as well as transcripts from in-depth interviews with 30 teachers. The findings suggest that engagement in professional learning communities is associated with strong leadership of the principal, policy reforms and the initiative of teachers themselves.