History Rural society in China

1 history

1.1 founding of people s republic
1.2 great leap forward
1.3 post-mao zedong era

history
founding of people s republic

one of major avowed objects of communist party of china (cpc) during rise prominence between 1921 , 1949 improvement of standard of living of average chinese citizen, vast majority of whom rural dwellers. during pre-1936 period, cpc played major role in transforming rural life in areas influenced or controlled. major area land reform, control taken traditional land owners , wealthy peasants, , appropriated state, is, collectivized. china in post-1949 period saw increases in mechanization of agriculture, spread of electricity, running water, , modern technology rural areas. however, late 1950s, remained done.

mao noted benefits accruing not rural areas, vast majority of chinese still lived, , ostensible focus of revolution, urban centers. identity card systems channeled unequal degrees of resources, including food rations, urbanites , rural dwellers. rustication of cultural revolution failed.

great leap forward

during great leap forward campaign of 1958 1961, china s leaders attempted accelerate collectivization , dramatically increase pace of industrial production throughout country, particularly in rural areas. involved small-scale production, such smelting of backyard steel. thought through collectivization , mass labour, china s steel production surpass of united kingdom within 15 years start of leap.

an experimental commune established in henan in 1958, , communes spread throughout country. tens of millions mobilised produce single commodity symbolic of industrialisation—steel. approximately 25,000 communes set up, each around 5,000 households. hope industrialize making use of massive supply of cheap labor , avoid having import heavy machinery. small backyard steel furnaces built in every commune peasants produced small nuggets of cast iron made scrap metal. simultaneously, peasants communities collectivised.

the great leap forward seen, both within , outside china, major economic disaster. peasants abandoned farming produce steel or work in other industrial production. 3 years between 1959 , 1962 known 3 bitter years, 3 years of natural disasters (although name used in china), , great leap famine, chinese people suffered extreme shortages of food. period had profound impact on history of rural life in china.

post-mao zedong era

under deng xiaoping, new policies in china s economy shifted approach collective farming household-based production quotas, in many ways reversing decades of collectivization efforts. in many areas of china, southern , coastal china, standard of living improved dramatically after deng s reforms. township , village enterprises brought industrial production rural areas—predominantly along souther coasts—helping open these rural communities greater economic prosperity. (the idea of industrial production in rural areas had been attempted under mao more limited success; instance, industrial plants in highly remote areas found ultimate production efforts hampered.) soon, however, imbalance appeared northern, interior, , western china remained @ far lower degree of economic development, situation persists 21st century. however, there multiple, complex factors contributing state of affairs. instance, distances farther, , geography more challenging, in western , interior regions. population more spread out; social structures may play role, in demographics , social structures of these regions differ of coastal china.

deng xiaoping s reforms included introduction of planned, centralized management of macro-economy technically proficient bureaucrats, abandoning mao s mass campaign style of economic construction. deng sustained mao s legacy extent stressed primacy of agricultural output , encouraged significant decentralization of decision making in rural economy teams , individual peasant households. @ local level, material incentives, rather political appeals, used motivate labor force, including allowing peasants earn income selling produce of private plots @ free market.

rural markets selling peasants homegrown products , surplus products of communes revived under more free-market economic approach of deng. not did rural markets increase agricultural output, stimulated industrial development well. peasants able sell surplus agricultural yields on open market, domestic consumption stimulated industrialization , created political support more difficult economic reforms.

development remains uneven, many highly prosperous areas far outpacing impoverished regions parents have great difficulty attaining enough income ensure children can sent school, despite already-low education fees. indeed, educational , social imbalances salient feature of uneven development.

one emerging trend since @ least 1990s floating population or black (e.g. black market) people , rural migrants (民工 min gong) entering urban areas in search of work. until recent developments, rural residents lacked legal permission resettle in urban areas without approval, yet between tens , hundred of millions did resettle in search of jobs. many have found work, in form of construction , other sectors relatively low wages , benefits, , high workplace hazards. numerous social issues have developed result, namely discrimination of ruralites in cities, psychological isolation of rural migrants, of has led crime. in sense, then, rural life has entered cities.

lack of employment opportunities has increasingly made life in many rural regions difficult, hence apparent enticement resettle in urban areas. of course, jobs still limited, many relocate in cities find prospects more meager had expected. statistics suggest high proportion of residents of rural areas unemployed or underemployed.

the development of special economic zones spurred rural growth in parts of china.

in 2013, china announced new plan reduce poverty , develop impoverished rural regions raising rural farmers income growth , reducing obstacles in agricultural development. plan includes promotion of new types of agricultural businesses, such family farms , organized cooperatives, , encouraging industrial , commercial enterprises invest in agriculture.