China Portfolio.

Robert Xie

Geo (G) – Ms. Rosner

October 25th, 2004

China Portfolio

Problem:

Although China has taken measures to slow down the exploding population, new problems have also emerged in the process. China’s rising life expectancy increases the amount of retired old people in the population. The one child policy has also caused many new couples to have to support themselves and an average of 4 aged dependants. This rapidly growing dependency population draws on large amounts of resources off the community and government such as healthcare and pension.

What can be done:

China has made adjustments to its once child policy allowing two single children couples to have two children. . This will ensure that the current aging population crisis to have a quick halt. In the next two to three decades the average family will only have to support two aged dependants.

Choropleth map (fig. 1.1):

China’s population is mainly distributed across the East China and Southeast China. This is because of major rivers, which provide a reliable water supply; flat arable lands, which provide soil that are suitable for growing crops; large port cities that provide opportunity for trade; temperate climates that are more comfortable to live in. China’s west side is very sparsely populated or even uninhabited due to the following reasons:

To the northwest, the desert and wastelands that lack a reliable water source and have great temperature change discourage people living there; to the southwest the ...

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Choropleth map (fig. 1.1):

To the northwest, the desert and wastelands that lack a reliable water source and have great temperature change discourage people living there; to the southwest the Himalayan Mountain ranges are also very uninhabited due to poor transportation and harsh climates.

Demographic Transition Model (fig. 1.2):

During 1949 to the 1950’s, when the PRC newly emerged, living conditions were harsh and death rates and birth rates were both high.

Then at 1949, due to the Great Leap Forward, food was scarce and millions died of starvation. At this time the birth rate took a nosedive as well, since the more children being born, the more mouths there were to feed and the less food per person. This was a great disincentive to have children, but this massive drop in birth rate only dropped the population by a very minuscule amount.

Subsequent to the great leap forward, China’s death rate dropped back down to lower levels although China’s birth rate spiked when Mao refused to put family planning into action. As of the great difference between birth rate and death rate, the population took a sharp rise, growing by more than 300 million in less than a decade. There is also another small bump in the death rate around the early 60’s. This is for the reason that the Cultural Revolution led by Mao caused so many deaths. Many people were randomly classified as capitalists, persecuted, locked up in jails and sent to march downtown as a form of humiliation.

In the early 70’s, family planning although not mandatory, was being promoted in China. This consequently resulted in the high fertility rate going down and also slowed down the growth of the population. Towards the late 70’s, the one child policy, which is mandatory all Chinese citizens was introduced and heavily enforced. Forced abortions or sterilizations applied to all who had more than one child, this has caused much international concern, as it is considered ‘inhumane’ by many countries.

Into the 80’s and 90’s, the one child policy did not apply strictly to farmers. If the first child was a girl, then they were allowed a second child since girls are less capable in the fields doing hard physical work. By doing so, the birth rate went up and then dropped back down a decade later. Death rate by the middle 70’s had already stabilized due to improving health care and living conditions.

Comparisons (fig. 1.3):

China and Japan’s population structure are somewhat closely alike one another. As one can notice, the majority of China’s population lies between the 25-35-age ranges, whilst in Japan, the majority of the population is in the 35-45-age range. The bulk of the population for both pyramids lies within the working age (15-65 years). Both population structures have a narrow base and a fairly large above-65 population, although Japan has a larger above-65 population due to longer life expectancy. Both population pyramids show distinct characteristics of a stage 4-population pyramid, with a large center, narrow base and a ling and rounded top.