China on Way of a Fairly Well-off Life for People

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, November 10, 2002

China on Way of a Fairly Well-off Life for People

By what markers are a well-off life meant for people in China? It is estimated the figure will be over US$900 per-capita and a national GDP of RMB&10 trillion more by the yearend helping China enter a new development stage of being fairly well-off at large.

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By what markers are a well-off life meant for people in China? By "standard markings" representing a well-off life as envisaged for people on the Chinese land by 1999 China must be in a comprehensive manner to have covered over a 94.6 percent course of being adequately fed and dressed by its people. Indicative was an annual per-capita GDP averaging US$900 by China in 2001. It is estimated the figure will be over US$900 per-capita and a national GDP of RMB&10 trillion more by the yearend helping China enter a new development stage of being fairly well-off at large.

As learned, in the mid-1990s, the State Statistics Bureau in collaboration with the State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture had been working on three sets of standards or markings positioning a well-off life by people in China. One put economic development, people's ethics, caliber and their material life and living environment respectively at an elevated level of 94.6 percent, 88.4 percent and 91.5 percent, boiling down to an incessant overall income growth by people in town and country. By 2001, a per-capita disposable amount averaging near 7,000 yuan was reported in towns and an annual per-capita 2,500 yuan in rural areas. In the first half of this year, a rural per-capita figure averaging 566 yuan further contributed to a steady growth of income by farmers from non-agriculture lines showing a per-capita growth of more than 28 yuan over the same period of last year.

"Housing basically weighs whether life is well off or not". Some dozen years ago, often known to people must be a small space to people of a three-generation family under a single roof. But against this for now is a per-capita average of 10 square meters of floorspace by urbanites and an average of over 25 square meters of living space by people in rural China.

From the year 1998 on, many individuals have changed to a life moving on private cars and these have come to take up over half the number of car deals in China. In cities, every ten thousand urbanites come to run over 100 cars. Holiday tourism brings China consumption surge. In 2001, homebound tourists numbered over 780 million. Back in the early 1990s, merely 3 million out-bound tourists/times were reported out China but when it came to 2001 the figure soared to over 12.13 million.

Communications have achieved a fast growth. By June this year, a total of over 200 million fixed telephone users were made known in China and of 180 million mobile phone users putting China in the first place topping the world. Surfers have already topped over 6000 users ranking China world second.

Education has new greater advances made. By the end of 1999, over half the number of the country's counties and cities at a county level have had 9-year compulsory education popularized. School-age children at school have been up to 99.1; primary and middle school students at a rate of 94.4 percent and 50 percent respectively. By 1999, adult literacy reached 87.6 percent, at a level over that of a "well-off" life set. By the end of 2000 was a 4.7 percent of people with a college education reported.

It needn't say China has made new advances in developing culture. As seen in 1999, a network formed of 2899 cultural centers and undertakings have been built, public libraries number 2769, museums 1371. Broadcast coverage has been over a 90.4 percent, TV a comprehensive 91.6 percent of the country's population.

Health care and sanitation endeavor steadily improved. In 1999, every 10 thousand people shared an average figure of 25.49 hospital beds and 2.55 medical institutions. The average life expectancy for now is nearly at a level of the developed countries. From the 4th national census in 1990 to the 5th in 2000, China chalked up a 2.85-year more in people's life expectancy to show an average of five years more than the world average.

Improvements have also been made in China's eco-environment. By 1999, natural reserves across China increased to 1146 from 793 in 1995, over an area of 88.152 million hectares from 71.72 million hectares in 1995. Eco-pilot areas are up to 151, over an area of 33.309 million hectares. The heartening thing is that China has come to have over 16.55 percent of its land under forest, a percentage over the 15 percent "well-off" level.

A greater sustaining capability guaranteeing social wellbeing has also been happily reported. By the end of 2000, people taking part in unemployment insurance topped 104.08 million and of these a monthly average of 1.37 million relied on unemployment insurance. There are over 103.67 workers and staff and over 31.73 million retirees taking in old-pension insurance and 43.32 million workers and staff taking in basic medical insurance. Late by 2000, over 3.819 million urban residents had been helped with minimum life insurance. There are 15 provinces, autonomous regions and centrally administered municipalities that have set up a social wellbeing system guaranteeing the basic life needs of people and 3 million people in rural areas with over 730 million yuan as basic life insurance funds issued.

By People's Daily Online

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