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Change of Chinese people's lives: facts and figures
(09/16/2002)
¡The Chinese people have experienced drastic progress in their lives
in the past decade. They have become better off, just as the following
facts and figures show:
I. Rising income
Facts: At the beginning of China's opening-up in the late 1970s,anyone
considered rich was called "a person with 10,000 yuan (1,205
US dollars). That title is outdated as such people are too common
to stand out, especially in cities and towns. Rapid economic growth
has amazed the world for over two decades and multiplied personal
wealth and household income.
Figures: Some 800 million people in the rural areas are better
off, with their per capita net income increasing by 62 percent between
1990 and 2001. In cities and towns, working people's salaries have
been raised for seven times in the period. The per capita income
of urban residents in 2001 more than doubled that in1990. A more
striking increase was reflected in more savings, withthe total savings
balance to date of rural and urban dwellers reaching 8 trillion
yuan (964 billion US dollars), dwarfing the 500 billion yuan (60
billion US dollars) at the end of 1989.
II. Falling Engel coefficient
Facts: Chinese used to greet people with "Have you had your
meal?" Now you seldom hear such a greeting. In the daily life
of Chinese, the proportion of income spent on food is dropping.
Figures: The Engel coefficient, which indicates the proportion
of food expenditure in total consumption, is an internationally
acknowledged index showing a nation's living standards. In 1990,
the coefficient stood at 54.2 percent for urban residents and 58.8percent
for rural people. In 2000 it dropped below 50 percent for the first
time, falling further to 37.9 percent for urban people and 47.7
percent for farmers in 2001.
III. More delicate food
During the past decade, Chinese people's diet has changed a lot,with
staple food consumption going down and non-staple food consumption
rising. It indicates that Chinese are having a more delicate and
nutritious diet.
Figures: Urban people's consumption of grain decreased from 145kg
per capita in the 1980s to 88 kg in the late 1990s, and the figure
for farmers dropped from 260 kg to 250 kg in the same period. On
the other hand, the consumption of meat, poultry, eggs,seafood and
vegetable oil rose and their ratio in the diet increased.
IV. Longer lifespan
Facts: On June 18, 2002, 116-year-old Du Pinhua, living in Leshan
in southwest China's Sichuan Province, was honored as "the
world's oldest person" and awarded the Guinness record certificateby
the Shanghai Office of the Guinness Book of World Records. Living
over 70 was regarded as rare in ancient China, it is commonthese
days. Stable social environment and rising living standards as seen
in nutrition, medical care enable Chinese to enjoy longer lives.
Figures: Life expectancy, a composite index reflecting people'shealth
and cause of death, primarily depends on social and economic development
and medical service in a country. From 1990 to 2000, Chinese people's
life expectancy grew 2.85 years, up to 71.4, which is five years
above world average and seven years above the average level in developing
countries. According to statistics in developed countries like Britain,
the United States and France, it took 100 years for their life expectancy
to rise from 41 to 64.6, averaging a growth of 2.36 years for every
decade.
V. Larger living space
Facts: In the past it was common for three generations to live
together with minimal space. Both in cities and the countryside
many shanties and old and unsafe houses existed. The situation haschanged
tremendously. During the past 13 years, various housing projects,
such as renovating unsafe houses and building new housesfor ordinary
people, have helped many move into new comfortable homes, and also
promoted a booming house property industry.
Figures: In the early 1990s, per capita floor space in cities and
towns was a mere 6.7 sq. meters, and 17.8 sq. meters for thosein
the countryside. Now that figure has increased above 10 sq. meters
in cities and towns, and 25 sq. meters in the countryside. Meanwhile,
people live more comfortably than before with better decoration,
furniture and domestic appliances.
VI. More private cars
Facts: China was once a nation of bicycles. Many foreigners were
surprised when they first came to China at the sight of streams
of bicycles on the streets. Some 13 years ago, few people had the
desire to own a car. But rapid economic growth has made people increasingly
wealthy, and more and more hope to own a car. In deed, many have
made their dreams come true.
Figures: Since 1998, private purchase has accounted for over 50percent
of total car sales in China, and this rate has even topped70 percent
in some big and medium-sized cities. In cities, there are 100 cars
for every 10,000 people. Nationwide, the number of private cars
rose to 5.34 million in 1999 from 816,000 in 1990, upby 23.2 percent
annually which was far higher than the growth of the total number
of cars during the same period. Private cars managed to make up
40 percent of the country's total, up from 15 percent previously.
VII. Colorful clothes
Fashion has become hot in the country and more and more people
are seeking stylish and individualized clothes. Old and middle-aged
people choose to buy high-quality clothes, while young peoplelove
to follow the latest fashion. Enticing fashion brands, both domestic
and international, show off their colorful styles in shops dotted
along the streets.
Figures: In the early 1990s, people used to regard someone in asuit,
tie and a pair of leather shoes as a well-dressed person. Now such
dress is so common that nobody notices it. More than 90 percent
of people have suits and leather shoes, and 88.7 percent of people
are more likely to select clothes made of natural materials like
cotton, hemp, wool and silk. Although the proportion of people's
expenditure on clothes is falling, the total value is on the rise,
up about 10 percent on a year-on-year basis in the past decade.
Sales of ready-made clothes are increasing, up from 84.8 percent
in 1995 to 93.6 percent in 2000.
VIII. Higher education
In the past 13 years, both governments and individual Chinese have
enthusiastically paid unprecedented attention to education. The
number of people attaining a higher learning qualification, including
a bachelor's, master's and doctor's degree, is growing rapidly.
Figures: Nine-year compulsory education have been basically implemented
across the country. The rate of children completing primary schooling
and attending middle schools jumped from 74.6 percent in 1990 to
95.5 percent in 2001. The enrolled number of people into colleges
and universities rose from 609,000 to 2.683 million over the same
period. In the meantime, the rate of people attending higher learning
institutions improved from barely 3.4 percent to 12 percent, which
shows that higher learning education has become more accessible
to the general public.
IX. Booming holiday travel
Facts: Chinese did not have much money 13 years ago, nor much leisure
time. They stayed at home or went to visit relatives and friends.
When traveling, they did not go far. Now well-off Chineselike to
tour around the country and some even go abroad for traveling.
Figures: In 1989, only 240 million Chinese people traveled within
China, but the figure soared to 780 million by 2001. In theearly
1990s, only 3 million people went abroad each year, but the number
hit 12.13 million in 2001. The money people spent on tourism increased
by 167.6 percent from 1995 to 2000.
X. Faster communication
Facts: A decade ago, families used to contact each other by writing
letters, or spending lavishly on a low quality long distance telephone
call at post offices. Now many people seldom write a letter to their
families or friends, instead they make phone calls with long-distance
telephones at home or mobile phones,or send e-mails.
Figures: In the past, people with a telephone installed at homewere
envied by others. By the end of July this year, China's fixedtelephone
users exceeded 200 million, ranking first in the world. In 1988,
mobile telephone service was opened to the public, now there are
180 million subscribers, also the first ranking in the world. In
the early 1990s, few people knew of "worldwide web", now45
million Chinese surf on the Internet at least one hour a week. The
number ranks the third in the world.
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