Gansu |
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I. Basic Data |
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1. Name: Gansu Province 2. Area: 390,000 square kilometers 3. Population: 25.62 million (the 2000 population census) 4. Provincial Capital: Lanzhou 5. Geography: Gansu lies at the juncture of three highlands: Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Inner-Mongolia Plateau and Huangtu Plateau, and is bounded on the east by Shanxi, on the west by Xinjiang, on the south by Sichuan, on the north by Inner-Mongolia, Ningxia and Mongolia. Most areas of Gansu are plateau and mountainous with an altitude above 1,000 meters. 6. Natural Resources: Gansu is rich in minerals, with 111 types having been found to date. It is also rich in hydro-power because the Bailong River, a branch of the Yangzie River, and Huanghe River flow through Gansu. But the precipitation is scarce and not regular, so Gansu is also a province that suffers from drought. Gansu has large land resources as well, but the percentage of utilizable land is low, the proportion of cultivated land is small and the capacity of the land is low. Gansu also has plentiful biological resources, especially Chinese herbal medicine, and it is one of the most important Chinese herbal medicine production areas. 7. Economy: In 2000, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Gansu was 98.30 billion Yuan, and the per capita GDP was 3,838 Yuan; the gross output value of industrial and farming forestry, animal husbandry and fishery was 141.034 billion Yuan, the total imports and exports was 569.53 million US dollars; and the total provincial government revenue was 10.838 billion Yuan; the yield of grain was 7.1348 million tons. Compared with other provinces in China, the economic level of Gansu is still low. The situation could be shown to be the result of a weak economic and technological foundation for resources exploitation, the low degree of resource exploitation, poor industrial foundation, inadequate communication and transportation, static economic structure, less developed agricultural production, government revenue problem, capital shortage, and so on. 8. People's life: By the end of 2000, Gansu had employed persons of 14.92 million, or 58.24% of the total provincial population. The total wages of staff and workers were 17,997.603 million Yuan, and the total social insurance and welfare funds of employed and retired staff and workers were 2.568 billion Yuan. The average wage of staff and workers was 7,913 Yuan, and the per capita net income of rural residents was 1,428.70 Yuan. The per capita annual disposable income of urban households was 4,916.25 Yuan. The average household consumption was 1,734 Yuan, 993 for rural residents and 4,890 for urban residents. The number of hospital beds per 1,000 persons was 2.33, and the number of doctors per 1,000 persons was 1.48. 9. Education: In 2000, there were 18 institutions of higher education, with the number of students enrolled being 81,700 and 7,208 teachers; 3,661 secondary schools and regular secondary schools with 2,764,300 students and 159,492 teachers; 21,557 primary schools with 3,164,600 students and 125,712 teachers. The school-age children enrolment rate was 98.83%. Although education developed at a rapid speed never seen before, the overall education level is still very low, and the nine-year compulsory education requirement has not become popular in the province. Thus, much more attention must be paid later to education, and efforts such as raising the investment in education and improving educational facilities should be taken. Meanwhile, illiteracy-alleviation measures should be carried out firmly. |
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II. Population Situation |
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1. Size and Distribution According to the 2000 population census, the total population of Gansu was 25.62 million. Because of the difference in the natural environment, the economic level and social development level in different parts of the province, the population is unevenly distributed and population density differs greatly, which shows an obvious vertical distribution. Furthermore, the urban population is extremely concentrated. The population density was 56 persons/sq.km. The urban and rural population was 6.15 million and 19.47 million, accounting 24.1% and 75.99% respectively. 2. Population History The apparent differences in fertility, mortality and migration in various periods of time lead to periodical changes in the total population. In 1950-1958, the population grew at a rapid rate. Except for 1954, the annual increase rate was always above 20 per 1,000 and in 1956 reached its highest at 54.8 per 1,000. The total population of Gansu increased from 9.6845 million in 1949 to 12.8148 million in 1959. 1959-1960 was the low ebb of population growth, except that in 1959 the increase rate was 9.08 per 1,000; the rate in the other years was below zero, i.e. -37.95 per 1,000 and -26.70 per 1,000. 1962-1973 was another phase of rapid increase. During the 12 years, the total population rose from 12.1082 million in 1961 to 17.4214 million in 1973, a 3.08% average increment for each year. In 1974-1984, population growth was brought under control, and the growth rate declined rapidly. The annual increase rate was 1.38%. During 1985-1990, the development of Gansu's population was put under legal management. The family planning program was perfected gradually and people were made aware of population issues. The population growth rate bounced back from a low level 13.02 per 1,000 in 1984 to 16.46 per 1,000 in 1990. The total population increased from 20.5588 million to 22.5467 million in 1990. Comparison between 2000 and 1990, growth in persons were 3.25 million, growth rate was 14.52% and annual growth rate was 1.32%. 3. Population Structure by Sex and Age By the end of 2000, the male population of Gansu was 13.82 million, the female population 12.34 million, and the sex ratio 107.59. Compared with sex ratio of 107.56 in 1990 and 106.35 in 1995, the sex ratio increased gradually by 0.03 and 1.24 respectively. The sex ratio at birth in 1997 was 124.17, much higher than 110.38 in 1990 when the fourth national population census was conducted, mainly because of the under-reporting of female babies. In 2000, Gansu's population aged 0-14 was 6.92 million, or 27.00% of the total provincial population. The population aged 15-64 was 17.42 million, or 68.00% of the total; and the population of 65+ was 1.28 million, or 5.00% of the total. The population of Gansu is an adult population. 4. Fertility Level and Changes The total fertility rate has been declining smoothly since the 1970s, always being below 4. Since the 1980s, except for 1982, the TFR was kept below 3 and it reached 2.3 in 1990. In 2000, the birth rate of Gansu was 14.38 per 1,000 and the natural growth rate was 7.97 per 1,000. By projection, from 2005 to 2012, there will be another small peak in the number of births. From 2013 to 2030, the number of newborns will decrease. 5. Mortality and Life Expectancy Gansu's experience of mortality change was characterized by an apparent "decrease first, rise then, decrease again, finally stable" pattern. The overall trend is declining gradually. Age-specific mortality has taken a typical "J" shape since the third national census. The mortality of the 0-14 age group declined greatly while the mortality of the 15-64 age group dropped slightly and continually. The mean age of death became older and death occurs mainly among the aged population. The mortality of Gansu declined from 14 per 1,000 in 1953 to 6.41 per 1,000 in 2000. Since the foundation of the People's Republic, the life expectancy of Gansu improved rapidly from 59.7 years in 1957 to 68.92 in 1989. There was no significant difference in life expectancy between urban and rural areas. The infant mortality rate and child mortality rate in rural areas is higher than that of urban areas, and there is a great regional difference in life expectancy. In 1990, the life expectancy of Gansu's population was 67.24 years, 66.35 for male and 68.25 for female. It is estimated that by 2010, the life expectancy of Gansu will reach 70.4 years. 6. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type In 1990, the never-married population of Gansu totalled 4.2552 million, and the proportion never married was 26.41%. Of this number, the male never-married population totalled 2.5280 million, or 30.26% of the total, and the female never-married population totalled 1.7272 million, or 22.26% of the total. The sex ratio of the never-married population was high, and showed an increasing trend. In 1999, among the 17.999 million population in the 15 and above group, unmarried people accounted 17.98%, the first marriage having spouses people accounted 74.27%, the non-first marriages having spouses people accounted 1.35%, the divorced people accounted 0.87%, and the widowed people accounted 5.53%. In the early 1950s, the average family size was 5.09 people. In the 1950s, family size enlarged progressively. In the 1960s, however, it declined first and then rose again. In the 1970s and 1980s, it dropped gradually. The change in family size in Gansu shows some characteristics: family size is becoming smaller, and small families are becoming dominant in urban areas while middle-sized families take the first place in rural areas. There was a clear regional difference in family size. The dominant type of family in Gansu was the two-generation household, which accounted for 66.18% of all households, and the next was the three-generation household, which accounted for 27.50% of all households. The percentage of other family types was very small. According to the result of the fourth national census, family size declined in a wavy pattern. In 1990, the average size of family households was 4.56, but it was 3.97 in 2000, down 0.58. 7. Population Quality During the period 1982-2000, the education level of Gansu's population improved greatly. The illiteracy rate dropped and the illiterate population decreased. In 1990, the illiterate population was 6.25 million, but it was 3.67 million in 2000. The illiterate rate was 27.93% in 1990 and 14.34% in 2000, down 13.59%. The proportion of the population receiving an education increased, especially for those at the middle-school level and above. But compared with the national educational level, the province still has a long way to go; for example, the illiteracy rate in one or two areas increased, and the level of the illiteracy rate was still the second in China. In addition, there are many other problems such as the uneven distribution of qualified personnel and an unreasonable educational structure. 8. Migration and floating population During the period 1982-1987, most of the population immigrating to Gansu were from foreign provinces for a variety of reasons, such as seeking refuge with relatives and friends; retirement; job transfer; marriage and so on. The education level of the immigrating population was higher than that of the host population. From 1985 to 1990, the direction of migration changed due to the difference in economic development and people's livelihood in different provinces. During this period, net emigration was 81,500 people, accounting for only 0.36% of the provincial population. The reasons for immigration changed to economic causes such as job transfer; looking for new jobs; doing business and so on. The male population migrated much more than the female population. County-to-city migration was the main pattern of intra-migration and the education level of migrating people was lower. 9. Population, Resources and the Environment Resources per capita declined continuously with the rapid growth of the population. The conflict between limited resources and fast population growth became more serious. Per capita farmland decreased, and water resources per capita are tight too. Furthermore, the per capita deposits of minerals are declining due to overexploitation. The forest coverage rate is at a low level. Economic activity has led to the over-exploitation of natural resources, which deepened the conflict between humans and the environment. |
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III. Family Planning |
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History There have been three phases since the family planning program was launched: Period of Planning In 1964, the People's Committee decided to establish the Gansu Family Planning Commission, which marked the beginning of practicing family planning in the whole province. The Provincial Department of Public Health established an office in charge of technical and medical support. In the autumn of 1964, training of rural midwives and family planning workers was started, and family planning work began to be carried out in rural areas. Contraceptive pills and injectables were distributed and introduced to Gansu through the medical department in late 1969. Period of Practicing In November 1971, the Family Planning Leading Group was established; at the same time the Family Planning Office was established under the leadership of the Bureau of Public Health Administration. The Office was in charge of surveys and research, training professionals, introducing contraception to local people, and providing medical support. Since then, family planning work was put into practice in the whole province. In 1972, all counties established Family Planning Offices and in September of the same year, the first meeting for the exchange of experience was held in Zhangye. In the spring of 1973, the provincial Family Planning Leading Group suggested "two children for one couple with four years of spacing." Meanwhile, some districts and counties made population plans and put population growth into the provincial development plan. After 1975, more modern methods of contraception, such as the IUD and female sterilization were introduced on a large scale. Period of Advancement of Family Planning Leadership Since 1983, the contract and responsibility system was introduced into the management of family planning. The provincial government held a meeting with all local leaders in 1989, discussed family planning issues and made sure that county government was responsible for local family planning management. After 1991, the provincial government was required to put family planning into the daily work plan instead of being just a "movement". Policies, Laws and Regulations In July 1979, the provincial government issued "Regulation of Family Planning Trial Implementation", which was the first regulation about family planning. After 1979, family planning was introduced into ethnic minority areas with policies different from those of the Han majority. In November 1989, the People's Congress of Gansu approved the "Gansu Family Planning Regulation." In March 1991, the provincial government issued "Regulation on the Family Planning Management of the Floating Population." Organization and Staff By the end of 1979, all townships of Gansu had staff in charge of family planning affairs. In 1983, the Provincial Family Planning Commission was established; this measure was followed by its establishment in 14 districts and 85 counties. In the same year, the first 38 county stations for family planning technical instruction were established. In December 1984, the Provincial Family Planning Association was established. In March 1985, the Provincial Publication and Education Center of Family Planning was established. In 1986, the Provincial Contraceptive Management Station was established. Major Achievements The speed of population growth has been brought under control From 1949 to 1971, the annual population increase rate was 23.76 per 1,000. From 1972 to 1993, however, it was 16.38 per 1,000, an obvious decline. The average TFR in the 1970s was 4.0, and it was 2.66 during 1980 - 1987 and, around 2.0 in 1993. In 1970, the first parity birth rate was 20.73%, while the high parity birth rate was 62.21%; these rates were respectively 46.57% and 28.09% in 1981, 58% and 13.9% in 1992, and 67.15% and 1.25% in 2000. Ideas about fertility and marriage have been changed In the 1950s, the average first-marriage age was 16.92 years; it was 17.79 in the 1960s and 19.1 in the 1970s; in 1999, it rose to 23.11. The average first-birth age rose from 21 in the 1970s to 23 in the 1990s, in 1997, it rose to 24.38. In 1972, the contraceptive prevalence rate was only 14.6%; in 1982, it rose to 69%, and it reached 87.50% in 2000. In 2000, the family planning rate was 93.40%. The couples with a one-child certificate increased annually. In 1993, about 545,689 couples had accepted this certificate, or 10.65% of the total number of married reproductive-aged women. Changes in age structure According to the fourth national census, Gansu's population had become an adult population and the total dependency ratio declined from 73.19% in 1964 (with the ratio of children being 69.61% and of the elderly 3.59%) to 47.14% (with the ratio of children being 41.16% and of the elderly 5.98%). In 2000, the total dependency ratio was 47.07%, 39.72% for children and 7.35 for elder. The population reproduction pattern is changing also. Great socio-economic benefits Much fewer people were born because of the success of the family planning program in Gansu. It is estimated that the sum is over 7.80 million, which has a remarkable benefit on socio-economic development. |
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