Guangdong |
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I. Basic Data |
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1. Name: Guangdong Province 2. Area: 177.901 square kilometers 3. Population: 86.42 million (2000 population census) 4. Provincial Capital: Guangzhou 5. Geography: Guangdong is one of the provinces on the south end of the mainland of China, and includes the mainland part and many islands. It is in the tropical and subtropical monsoon climate zone. Guandong is near the Nanling mountain range, and borders on Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Fujian, and on the South China Sea in the south. 6. Natural Resources: Guangdong Province abounds in aquatic products, the fresh water cultivatable area in the whole province is 425,700 hectares, and seawater cultivatable area is 775,700 hectares. Guangdong has many types of minerals; 128 types of minerals have been found to date, including 89 types with proven reserves, and most are nonferrous metals. 7. Economy: In 2000, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Guangdong was 950.60 billion Yuan, the per capita GDP was 12,885 Yuan. The gross industrial and agricultural output value was 1,134.46 billion Yuan. Total imports and exports were worth 1,751.335 billion US dollars; total provincial government revenue was 91.056 billion Yuan; the yield of grain was 18.2233 million tons. People's life: By the end of 2000, the total of employed people in Guangdong numbered 38.46 million, or 501 thousand more than that at the end of 1999. The total wages of staff and workers amounted to 102.942 billion Yuan, and the average wage of staff and workers was 13,545 Yuan. The per capita annual disposable income of urban households was 9,761 Yuan, and the per capita net income of rural households was 3,654 Yuan. The per capita living floor space was 19.51 m2 for urban areas and 22.42 m2 for rural areas. Minimum life guarantee system had been established in 143 cities, counties and districts, from which 348 thousand people received minimum life guarantee relief. The province had a total of 8,984 health care institutions, with 168.1 thousand beds. There were 265.0 thousand various health workers including 111.2 thousand doctors or an increase of 2.5%. 8. Education: By the end of 2000, there were 52 higher education institutions in Guangdong, with the number of enrolled students being 299,500 and teachers 46,800 million; 3,964 regular secondary schools, with the number of enrolled students being 4,606,900 and teachers 228,600; 24,200 primary schools, with number of students being 9,299,300 and teachers 364,100. The school-age student enrolment rate is 99.70%. |
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II. Population Situation |
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1. Size and Distribution Guangdong is one of China's provinces having a large population. According to the 2000 population census, its total population was 86.42 million, the fifth largest in China, next to Sichuan, Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu in size. The population density was 486 persons/sq.km., and its differs from high to low along with the terrain from low to high. The density is higher in the plain, lower in the mountainous areas, higher in the middle, east and west, lower in the north. The province is intensely populated in the southern and eastern parts, sparsely populated in the northern and western parts; the density increases from inland to coastal areas. Urban areas are intensely populated while rural areas are sparsely populated. 2. Population History The population development of Guangdong experienced five phases since the liberation the period; 1949 - 1958 was one of fast population increase with an annual rate of 2.66%. The first baby boom occurred in this period. 1959 - 1961 was a period of slow population increase with an annual rate of 1.16%. 1962 - 1970 the second baby boom, was observed in this period and the annual increase rate was 2.6%. In the 1971 - 1979 period, the population growth rate declined rapidly and the annual increase rate was 1.8%. This period was a turning point in terms of population development. 1980 - 1989 was a period of planned population growth and the increase rate was 1.6%, much lower than that of most periods. Comparison between 2000 and 1990, the growth in persons was 23.59 million, the growth rate was 37.55% and the annual growth rate was 3.13%. 3. Population Structure by Sex and Age The sex ratio of Guangdong's population increased gradually since 1949: 100.86 in 1949, 102.4 in 1953, 102.5 in 1960, 103.9 in 1964, 104.80 in 1982. It was since 1990 that the sex ratio declined; it was 104.80 in 1990 and became 103.82 in 2000. In 2000, the population aged 0 - 14 reached 20.89 million; the 15 - 64 population was 60.30 million and the population aged 65 and above was 5.23 million. They are accounting 24.17%, 69.78% and 6.05% to total population respectively. Fertility Level and Changes Since 1949, the fertility of Guangdong has been declining from 37.60 per 1,000 in 1950 to 21.96 per 1,000 in 1989, and the total fertility rate decreased from 6.12 in 1957 to 2.49 in 1989. Since the 1990s, it kept declining though the province experienced its third baby boom and the total number of women of reproductive age increased. The total fertility rate was 2.48 in 1990, while in 1999 the birth rate was 15.32 per 1,000, and the natural increase rate was 9.92 per 1,000. According to population projections in three scenarios of high, medium, and low, the total fertility rate will decline to 1.9 in the next century and the birth rate will be between 13.65 and 12.95 per 1,000. 4. Mortality and Life Expectancy The mortality of Guangdong has continued to decline since liberation, being much lower than the national level ranking it among the provinces with low mortality. Mortality was 15 per 1,000 in 1949, and 5.92 per 1,000 in 1980. Since the 1990s, mortality bounced back slightly, at 6.17 per 1,000 in 1992 and 5.40 per 1,000 in 2000. The life expectancy of Guangdong (including Hainan) was 71.29 years in 1981, 68.53 for males and 73.74 for females, and it was 72.52 in 1990, 69.71 for males and 75.43 for females. 5. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type In 1997, among the 51.071 million people aged 15 and above, males numbered 25.406 million and females 25.664 million. The never married males were 7.244 million; females 5.445 million. The currently married males in their first marriage were 17.012 million; females 17.450 million; the currently married males in their second marriage numbered 251,000; females 281,000. The divorced males numbered 171,000 and females 84,000; widowed males, 728,000 and females 2,403,000. Since 1982, family size has declined gradually. The family structure presented a "smaller in the two ends, larger in the middle" pattern. The number of seven-person and above households decreased and three-or-four-person households increased rapidly. This means that the family size of Guangdong is becoming smaller. In 1990, the average size of family household was 4.42 persons and it was 3.65 persons in 2000, down 0.57 persons. 6. Aging of the Population In recent years, with the strengthening of population control, the number of newborns decreased and life expectancy increased, which resulted in aging of the population. In 2000, among the total population of 86.42 million, those aged 0 - 14 were 20.89 million and making up 24.17% of the total; those aged 65 and above totaled 5.23 million and making up 6.05% of the total. But in 1990, the population aged 0 - 14 made up 29.92% of and 65+ made up 5.93% of the total. This change in age structure has two results: one is a rich labor force, which puts pressure on employment. In 2000, the total labor force of Guangdong reached 63.42 million, making up 73.40% of the total population. Another issue is old age support. In 2000, the total dependency ratio was 43.32%, with 8.67% being in the old age group (aged 65 and above). Faced with an aggravated old-age problem, it is necessary for the province to build up and perfect the social support system for the elderly. Meanwhile the role of family in old age support should be emphasized equally. 7. Population Quality Under the strategy "Rejuvenating the Province through Science and Education", since the 1990s, the education level of the Guangdong population has improved rapidly. The educated population increased from 53.47 million in 1995 to 74.56 million in 2000, and the percentage increased from 78.20% to 86.28% to total population. At the same time, the population of illiterate and semi-literate people decreased from 5.34 million to 3.32 million, and the total illiteracy rate declined from 7.81% to 3.84%. The increase in the educated population, especially the more highly educated population, provides an excellent foundation for the development of the information and technology industries in Guangdong. 8. Migration and the Floating Population Guangdong has been one of China's provinces experiencing frequent migration and mobility. During the five years from 1985 to 1990, intra-migration and inter-migration took the first place among all the provinces of China. The direction of migration was from neighboring provinces, inland provinces and remote mountainous areas to the Zhujiang River Delta; the rural population moved toward urban areas. The main reason for migration in recent years is doing business and labor work in cities, which is quite different from that before China's "opening and reform". Marriage migration, job transfer, going and seeking refuge with relatives and friends, accompanying migration and so on were the main reasons for migration at that time. 9. Population, Resources and the Environment Guangdong is one of the provinces with poor resources and a serious environmental problem. As a result of excessively rapid population growth and the low education level of the people, the pressures imposed by population on the environment heightened. To meet the demands of the increasing population, the environment and natural resources were overexploited and destroyed. The heavy population burden delayed economic construction and social development, while the deterioration of the environment in return endangered the survival of the people. |
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III. Family Planning |
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History Period of planning and publicity (1956-1961) In 1956, the Provincial Department of Public Health issued the "Seven-year Short-term Plan and Twelve-year Long Range Plan on Health of Women and Children" and the "project on contraceptive work of Guangdong", which explained the reasons for and methods of conducting fertility regulation, including some detailed regulations. In 1957, the publicity movement of fertility regulation was carried out in urban areas under the leadership of the government, and it also spread to rural areas. To meet the demand of the local people, contraceptive clinics were established in many city hospitals. However, the work was stopped during the period 1959 - 1961. Period of family planning initiation (1962-1969) In 1963, the economy recovered and fertility bounced back. In this year, the birth rate rose to 43.31 per 1,000, and the natural increase rate was 33.93 per 1,000. The rapid growth of population drew the attention of the provincial government and family planning work was put on the agenda again. First, correspondent organizations were established; second, policies and regulations were enacted; third, publicity about fertility regulation was carried out; fourth, technical personnel and teams were formed; and fifth, experimental family planning was built up in some rural areas. In the late part of this period, the family planning work was interrupted by the "Cultural Revolution", and population grew out of control. Period of carrying out family planning on a large scale (1970-1979) In 1969, the Provincial Family Planning Leading Group was established again, and so were local family planning offices. In 1979, the provincial family planning office was established and did much work in deepening family planning and popularizing typical experiences. In 1971, Guangdong promoted family planning policies as "two children for one couple with 4 - 5 years of spacing and later marriage." From 1978 to 1979, the "Regulation of Family Planning Trial Implementation of Guangdong" and "Complementation Regulation" were issued and consideration of population growth was put into the national development plan. In 1978, the Population Association of Guangdong and the Institute of Population Research at Guangdong Academy of Social Science were subsequently established. New era of family planning (1980-present) After the new "Marriage Law" was enacted, family planning became an obligation of each citizen, and in 1982, it was defined as one of the basic state policies. Since then, family planning work entered a new era. During this period, the family planning work was carried out progressively under plans, and the ideas of people about fertility and marriage were changed. All the efforts resulted in a rapid decrease in the birth rate from 22.4 per 1,000 in the early 1980s and 21.2 per 1,000 in the late 1980s. In 1992, the birth rate declined to 20.0 per 1,000 for the first time and it continued to decline to 15.32 per 1,000 in 1999. Major Achievements Rapid population growth has been controlled. In the 1950s, the annual birth rate was above 33 per 1,000, and in the 1960s it was above 32.5 per 1,000. Since the 1970s, as a result of effective family planning work, the birth rate began to decrease from 31.3 per 1,000 in 1971 to 15.32 per 1,000 in 1999; the natural increase rate declined also from 25.79 per 1,000 in 1971 to 9.92 per 1,000 in 2000. The reproductive pattern of the population has changed from "high fertility, high mortality, and low increase rates" to "low fertility, low mortality and low increase rates". The family planning policy has brought about a beneficial result. It was estimated that the annual births by the end of 1993 would be 1.5709 million if the birth rate of the 1970s, i.e. 32.5 per 1,000, had continued. However, the actual annual births were 1.2288 million, or 342,100 adverted annually. During the previous 24 years, the total of adverted births was 16.5390 million, which greatly relieved the heavy population burden on social and economic development. The age structure changed. In 1953, the age structure of Guangdong was between the young and old types. In the 1970s, it became the adult type. In the 1990s, however, the population entered into an era of an aged population. The ideas about marriage and fertility of the people have been changed. According to statistics, the mean age of first marriage for females in the 1960s was 20.39, while that of males was 24.34. In the 1980s, it was 22.24 for females and 25.18 for males. In the 1990s, it became 24.2 for females and 27.5 for males. In 1970, the late-marriage rate of females was 21%, and it became 73.26% in 2000. The old habits of early marriage and early child-bearing have been changed and the idea of fertility control has been widely accepted. |
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