the south of the country are especially harsh, and there are major problems with health and safety in these hothouses of the new economy. The Han Chinese population is in the overwhelming majority, and the term “Chinese” presupposes many Han beliefs and ways of thinking. It also, however, includes many that are originally from other ethnic groups – or that have been entirely made up or re-invented. Indeed, one can argue that “Chinese-ness” is an artificial construct that can be re-negotiated, depending on language, cultural practices and place of residence. Arguably, shared practices are as likely to be found in the border cities of Tibet, Gansu and Xinjiang, amongst people who are ethnically diverse but geographically proximate, as they are amongst Han Chinese across the nation and beyond.
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Over 1.3 billion people, one-fifth of the world’s population, live in China. The sheer numbers involved affect all aspects of life. The population continues to increase – even though the rates of growth have slowed. As the population clock suggests, these numbers challenge available solutions. China’s population is unevenly distributed across its provinces. Urban areas are becoming more overcrowded as the rural population leaves the land to work in the towns and cities, especially those in the eastern region. In 2000, China conducted the world’s largest census. Despite the difficulties in taking an accurate account of such large numbers, and ensuring the cooperation of local officials, it was pronounced a great success.
see also page 107
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POPULATION
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There are more boys than girls in China. This is particularly true in the rural areas, where boys are seen as more productive in agricultural work, and more valuable to aging parents. The consequences of small- or one-child family policies has been severe for girl children in the countryside. There, stories of abandonment and neglect are common, and tales of abductions – of adolescent girls and young women – suggest a widening gender gap amongst under 30-year-olds. Implementation of the law is left to provincial governments, who may vary it according to local conditions. Concerned about a lack of people to care for its increasingly elderly population, Shanghai has relaxed its regulations to allow some couples to have two children, and now offers incentives to daughter-only families. Some rural women have been subject to forced sterilization in certain provinces – the same areas that now have the worst gender ratio.
see also page 107
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THE GENDER GAP
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Over 90 percent of people in China are Han Chinese. Just over 100 million people are from one of 55 officially recognized ethnic groups, known as minority nationalities. Because of the strong presence of minority nationalities in Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang, these have been designated Autonomous Regions (ARs). This confers national minorities with some political and cultural rights, but, in practice, they enjoy little power. The Hakka are still waiting for minority nationality status. Several ARs are located along China’s borders, and are significant in terms of national security. Others are rich in natural resources, and vital to the country’s economy. Not all ethnic minorities are comfortable within the territory of the People’s Republic of China, however. There are Tibetans and minority nationalities in Xinjiang actively working for separation from China. Not surprisingly, all secessionist activities are banned.
see also page 109
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MINORITY NATIONALITIES
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Although China can proudly boast of lifting 250 million people out of poverty, it remains among the most unequal societies in the world. There is a deep-seated inequality in terms of natural resources and financial wealth between the Central and Eastern regions, which are well-placed for economic development, and the mainly rural Western hinterlands. The countryside was the first to benefit from economic reforms begun in 1978, but between1985 and 1995 the gap between urban and rural widened again. Spending in rural households has averaged around a quarter of that of urban households since the mid-1990s. The Party-State has been addressing this imbalance and is aiming to increase the income of rural populations by cutting taxes, cracking down on corrupt local officials and higher grain prices, and by improving farming methods.
see also page 109
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RURAL–URBAN INEQUALITY
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One third of the growth in the world’s economy in 2008 was contributed by China.
Part Three THE ECONOMY
The Chinese economy is central to global financial development, but is neither predictable nor static. Given the instability in global capitalism and the apparent fragility of the banking sector, as evidenced by the 2008 crash, the only certainty about the economy in China is that nothing is as certain as it ideally should be. Over the past 30 years, China has shifted from a command economy to the expansion of corporate capitalism and investment, and latterly to a beckoning future as the world’s leading knowledge and innovation center. In early 2008, the Premier indicated that the social structure needed time to keep pace with the
