Heilongjiang |
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I. Basic Data |
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1. Name: Heilongjiang Province 2. Area: 454,600 square kilometers 3. Population: 36.89 million (2000 population census) 4. Capital: Ha'erbin City 5. Geography: Heilongjiang is located in North China between east longitude 121° 13' - 135° 05' and north latitude 43° 22' - 53° 24' as a part of the frigid and temperate zone. It has a common boundary with Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Jilin Province. Its northern border is on the southeast of the Russian Federation. 6. Natural Resources: Heilongjiang Province not only has rich soil resources with a large quantity of cultivated land which takes the first place in China, but also has rich, good quality water resources for agriculture, industry and human consumption. Heilongjiang has a great deal of forest coverage, many kinds of biological resources and rich mineral resources. The petroleum resources in Heilongjiang are the largest in China. The Daqing Oil Field is not only the biggest one in China, but also is one of the few large oil fields in the world. As the one of the ten largest coalfield bases, the amount of its reserves, output and export all play important roles in China. Heilongjiang is also rich in some other mineral resources such as gold and lead. 7. Economy: The GDP in Heilongjiang in the year 2000 was 325,300 million Yuan, the gross output value of agriculture and industry was 308,600 million Yuan, and the per capita GDP 8,562 Yuan. The total value of imports and exports in 2000 reached 2,986.20 million US dollars. Government revenue was more than 21,395 million Yuan, and the output of grain was about 25.455 million tons. Heilongjiang's agriculture plays an important role in China. The level of agricultural mechanization is high, and industry developed rapidly. Heilongjiang opened up comparatively late, but it has been developing dramatically. It has become an important base of agriculture and industry for products such as marketable grain, wood, coal, oil and so on. 8. People's life: Based on statistics at the end of 2000, Heilongjiang had employees of 16.008 million. Total wage of staff and workers was 42,150 million Yuan, with the total value of insurance and welfare funds for non on-job staff and retired workers being 12,632.42 million Yuan. The net per capita income of rural households was 2,148.2 Yuan, and on the average wage of urban staff and workers was 7,835 Yuan per person. The annual per capita income at urban and town residents' own disposal was 4,913 Yuan. Per capita life consumption for urban residents was 3,824.4 Yuan, and for rural residents 1,540.4 Yuan. In terms of health services, there are 120,454 hospital beds and 171,252 doctors or nurses in the province. 9. Education: At the end of 2000, Heilongjiang had 36 universities with 200,000 enrolled students and 16,000 teaches, and 3,023 middle schools with 2,708,000 students and 160,000 teachers, and 13,995 primary schools with 2,831,000 pupils and 193,000 teachers. Heilongjiang people have a relatively higher educational level than that of other regions with less illiteracy and semi-literacy. It is one of the provinces with relatively high population quality in terms of education. The attendance rate of school-age children was 98.8%. |
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II. Population Situation |
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1. Size and Distribution The total population in Heilongjiang in 2000 was 36.89 million. Most people live in the plains in the mid-west, fewer in the mountains and hills in the mid-south, and even less in the eastern plains and in the northern mountains. On the whole, population density is low, and the speed of density increase is slow. The population density in cities is the highest. The regional deviation in population density is obvious among the administrative regions. As far the development of the economy in the province and the transfer of strategic emphasis in development, the population distribution has changed a lot. The center of distribution moved to the east, with the increase in density being higher in urban than in rural areas. Ethnic minorities are widely distributed in Heilongjiang, and the increase in the minority population is fast. With 48 out of 56 ethnic groups in China living in Heilongjiang, the province is listed as one of the provinces with multiple minorities. 2. Population History After 1949, the population growth rate of Heilongjiang went from rapid increase to quick decrease. The population size increased greatly and the speed of increase became slower gradually. With social and economic development in the last four decades and the implementation of the population policy, the growth of the Heilongjiang population can be classified into five periods as follows: The first period, 1950 - 1957, was characterized as the first high growth period. The annual increase rate was 4.44 percent; the population development in this period was blind and unplanned. The second period, 1958 - 1962, was defined as one of rapid decline in population growth rates. With the crude birth rates (CBRs) dropping rapidly, the first low point in population growth was formed. The third period, 1963 - 1972, can be divided into two stages. From 1963 to 1965, the CBRs increased rapidly following economic disaster, and the second peak of birth rates was formed in Heilongjiang with an increment of 0.8095 million persons per year on average. From 1966 to 1972, the CBRs remained at a high level, being over 34 per 1,000. The fourth period, 1973 - 1985, was marked by a slow-down in population growth and CBRs were reduced due to implementing the family planning program. In the fifth period, 1986 - present, the fertility rate was low, but the third peak of population growth was formed due to a rebound in birth rates caused by population momentum. 3. Population Structure by Sex and Age After 1949, the population structure by sex in Heilongjiang changed greatly. Up to the 1990s, the trend of changes in the sex ratio of the total population generally declined, then in the 1990s the sex ratio became normal with little change. In 2000, the total population in the whole province was 36.89 million, with 18.86 million males and 18.03 million females and the sex ratio was 104.60. In term of age structure, in 2000 among the 36.89 million population, the number of persons aged 0 - 14 totaled 6.97 million, or about 18.90 percent of the total. The number of people aged 15 - 64 was 27.92 million, or about 75.68 percent of the total. The elderly, aged over 65 years, totaled 2.00 million, accounting for 5.42 percent of the total population. 4. Fertility Level and Changes Since 1949, the fertility level in Heilongjiang has kept declining with some fluctuations, dropping to the low level at present. But it could decline further, if the early births and the out-of-plan births in rural areas were eliminated. In 1997, the CBR in Heilongjiang was 12.02 per 1,000, the natural increase rate was 6.85 per 1,000. Population projections indicate that, in the future, the Heilongjiang population will go through three stages: low growth, zero growth and negative growth before the 2050s. It is estimated that the Heilongjiang population will grow negatively, after 2020. 5. Mortality and Life Expectancy Since 1949, mortality in Heilongjiang has been reduced markedly. The mortality rate in Heilongjiang dropped from 10 per 1,000 and above in the early of 1950s to 5.17 per 1,000 in 1997. In general, The age specific mortality rates in Heilongjiang are low, and death rates by age form a J-shape. The mortality level in urban areas is lower than that in rural areas. In the minority groups, the mortality of males is higher than that of females. From the early 1950s, infant mortality has been dropping fast. Life expectancy in Heilongjiang has great improved in the past four decades, and it reached 68.4 years in 1990. 6. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type The fourth census in 1990 showed that all the unmarried persons above 15 years old totaled 6.229 million, accounting for 24.1 percent of the province's total population. The percentage of unmarried men was greater than that of unmarried women, and urban was greater than rural. The percentage of female spouses was higher than that of males, and urban was higher than rural. The percentage of widows was higher than that of widowers. There was a great difference in widowhood between urban and rural areas. The proportion of widows illiterate and semi-literate was high. The proportion of widows in different occupations was diverse. There was an obvious gap in divorce rates between urban and rural, as well as in different regions. In 1997, there were 15.081 million males and 14.685 million females aged 15 and over, a total of 29.767 million people in Heilongjiang. Among them there were 3.263 million males and 2.482 million females unmarried, 10.77 million males and 10.855 million females first married with spouse, 0.375 million males and 0.372 million females remarried, 0.193 million males and 0.128 million females divorced, and 0.48 million widowers and 0.849 million widows. Family size in Heilongjiang varies from urban to rural areas, and urban is smaller than rural. The main family form in the province is the two-generation family. But the conventional three-generation family has increased a little. And the backbone family, composed of grandparents, parents and single child, has decreased in number. 7. Aging of the Population The fourth census in 1990 showed that the proportion of the elderly had increased in the past years, with 6.28 percent of the total population in 1990 being aged 60 years and above and 3.78 percent 65 years and above. The increase in the elderly was faster than total population growth. The proportion of elderly in Heilongjiang now is comparatively lower than in any other of China's province. But the sex ratio of the elderly is slight high. The aged population is relatively young with a large proportion of persons at younger ages. The illiteracy and semi-literacy rate among the elderly was 67.67 percent in 1990. A high proportion of the elderly was married and living with their spouses, the unmarried and divorce rates among the elderly were very low, i.e. the same as the rate of widows or widowers. The proportion elderly participating in economic activities was about 13.98 percent. 8. Population Quality The quality of the population in Heilongjiang has improved greatly since 1949. But the level of educational attainment in different groups of people is out of balance, with a great gap existing between urban and rural areas. The population quality in terms of educational level in urban areas is higher than that in rural areas. The educational attainment for the people living in relatively developed big or middle-size cities and industrialized areas is higher. On the contrary, education in the rural areas is lower. And the education of females is lower than that of males. 9. Migration and the Floating Population From 1949 to 1979, except the year of 1962, Heilongjiang had a lot of migrants from all over the country. The major reasons are supporting of construction workers and the return of the Educated Urban Youth who went to the countryside and mountains from big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and the floating population with a large number of peasants migrating from Shandong blindly into Heilongjiang. From then on, net migration went down because the Educated Urban Youth were returned to their original cities. Since 1980, out-migration became greater than in-migration, since the government adopted the policy of controlling immigration. Some migrants were attracted back to rapidly developing Shandong and other provinces. In the 1980s, the floating population was decreasing year by year, but it appears to have rebound in the 1990s. In terms of international migration, emigration in Heilongjiang is more than immigration, and the immigration is accounted for almost entirely by overseas Chinese. 10. Population, Resources and the Environment Heilongjiang is rich in natural resources. But the pressure on resources became more serious as the social economy developed rapidly and the population grew large. The serious issues pertaining to the ecology caused by over-activity and unplanned exploitation and use of resources. We have no ability to solve some problems of pollution, because of weakness in technology and productivity, the fragility of the economy's carrying capacity and the weakness of facilities. All these deteriorate the environment and natural resources. |
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III. Family Planning |
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The family planning program in Heilongjiang has had a tortuous development. As a brief review, it can be described as following four phases: Advocating Birth Control (from 1949 to 1959) In 1956, the Heilongjiang Provincial Health Bureau followed the prescription of the Ministry of Health to require medical departments at all levels in the province to provide information and guidance to the people who need contraceptives. In 1957 the Provincial Health Bureau issued a document named "the Direction of Promoting Information and Guidance on Contraceptives". All hospitals at the city level and above started to set up clinics for birth control. In the same year, the People's Congress of Heilongjiang issued another circular on "the Prescription on Promoting Contraceptive Work". The Heilongjiang Working Committee on Birth Control was set up in August. But the work was halted due to the "Anti-Rightist" mass movement of the 1950s. Initiating Family Planning (from 1960 to 1978) In 1963, Heilongjiang Provincial Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and Heilongjiang People's Congress released the circular to "Carry out the Prescription Issued by the Center Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and State Council 'on Promoting Family Planning Seriously'", and decided to initiate a family planning program throughout the province. At that time, the family planning work was focused on the cities. In this period, the government put its effort into setting up organizations for family planning, and to establish regulations and make plans for population control. They also promoted education on contraception and managed technical services and contraceptive supplies. But the family planning work was disturbed and destroyed following the start of the "Cultural Revolution" in 1966. After 1972, the family planning work was resumed in Heilongjiang. In the same year, the Provincial Committee of Family Planning was approved for establishment by the Provincial Revolutionary Committee. Many family planning organizations were thereafter staffed with personnel and facilities built at all levels in the province. Expanding Family Planning (from 1979 to 1993) After the Third Plenary Meeting of the 11th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held in 1979, the family planning work in Heilongjiang received more attention from government leaders and reached a new stage. The family planning organizations and personnel have been enhanced further. A service network was formed to cover the whole province including rural areas. In 1980, the Heilongjiang Provincial Population Association was set up to conduct surveys and studies on population science and family planning. In 1983, the Provincial Institute of Family Planning Education and Publicity was built, and subsequently the supervisory stations for family planning education and publicity at all levels were soon built. In 1985, Family Planning Associations (FPAs) were founded. Since the early 1990s, the family planning service stations have been made up of service networks at four levels, which link up all cities, counties, townships and villages in the province. In this period, family planning IEC was deepened, and family planning policies and regulations were formulated. The population plan was integrated with the social and economic development plan. Government and family planning organizations at all levels adopted the population objectives under the responsibility system, and to sign contracts, which including 10 testable targets, with their subordinates. Increasing budgets and other inputs have been put into service network construction to provide quality services, to enhance the management of contraceptive supplies, and to emphasize the hormonal contraceptive services and management. A visible achievement in the family planning program has been made with these inputs. Improving Family Planning (1994 to present) In 1994, during the birth peak period, Heilongjiang attained the annual population plan targets given by the authorities, which shows that the family planning program is on a smooth and steady path. Heilongjiang has insisted on carrying out the Objective Management and Responsibility System in population and family planning work since 1994. Great efforts have been made in strengthening further the leadership in family planning work, and deepening progestational contraceptive services and management. The pilot project of primary reproductive care has made great progress. Government at all levels promoted the program of "Three Emphases" across-the-aboard, consolidated the comprehensive management of family planning work in terms of coordinating with their related sectors, departments and organizations under the leadership of the government. With the improvement of laws and policies, legitimate management was required as a legal construct in the family planning program. With more attention being paid to the quality of personnel in family planning the system was improved, and information education and communication (IEC) in family planning has been regarded as a priority in the work. The quality of statistics in population and family planning has been also improved. The reformation of management for the Unplanned Birth Fee has had certain effects. In general, Heilongjiang has a fairly good infrastructure in population and family planning. Its performance in family planning has been praised as first class. A moderate population environment has been created for its social and economic development. Great achievements in family planning in the past four decades in Heilongjiang could be summed up as follows: Firstly, the rapidly increasing population has been controlled efficiently. In 1997 the crude birth rate was 12.02 per 1,000 and natural increase rate 6.85 per 1,000, i.e. 33.04 and 29.65 per 1,000 respectively less than that in 1963. This situation produced a good basis for economic development and social progress. Secondly, the concept of marriage and childbearing in people's mind has changed significantly. More and more people have realized that the quality and quantity of children is not only related to family happy, but also the prosperity of the nation. The people's concept of marriage and childbearing was changed from being "blind" to being "planned". Especially after dissemination of the basic knowledge about population and family planning in the province, the consciousness of the people in carrying out family planning was enhanced significantly. Thirdly, the demographic transition took place. In 1964, Heilongjiang's young people aged 0 - 14 accounted for about 45.23 percent of the total, and the elderly aged over 65 only 2.92 percent. The young pattern of the age structure means that the population would expand. In 1990, the fourth census showed that the proportion aged 0 - 14 dropped to 26.6 percent and the rate of the elderly over 65 years increased to 3.78 percent. In 2000, the fifth census showed that the proportion aged 0 - 14 increased 27.92 and 65 years and above was 5.42. At present, the pattern of the population age structure has become a more stable adult pattern reaching the early stage of the aged pattern. Finally, it accelerated the improvement of population quality. With developments in the economy, education, medical science and the family planning program, the population quality in the whole province improved markedly. Mortality has been reduced from 12 per 1,000 at the beginning of the 1950s to 5.17 per 1,000 in 1997. Life expectancy was doubled compared to that before 1949. The infant mortality rate has been reduced from 200 per 1,000 in 1949 to 12.38 per 1,000 in 1990. The 2000 census showed the distribution of educational attainment among the people aged six and above as follows: people who attained a college level and above education reached 5.06 percent of the total, senior high school, 14.63 percent, junior high school, 41.02 percent, and elementary school, 32.99 percent. Generally the educational level of Heilongjiang population is above the average level for China as a whole. |
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