Jiangxi |
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I. Basic Data |
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1. Name: Jiangxi Province 2. Area: 166,900 square kilometers 3. Population: 41.40 million (2000 population census) 4. Provincial Capital: Nanchang City 5. Geography: Jiangxi Province is in the eastern part of China, to the south of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangzte River. It is between 24° 29'-30° 04' N latitude and 113° 34'-118° 28' E longitude, and borders on Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and Anhui. 6. Natural Resources: Jiangxi's area of cultivated land was 2.2981 million hectares, the effective irrigated area was 1.9001 million hectares, and it is one of China's main grain production areas. Jiangxi's forest coverage rate was 53.3%. In addition, Jiangxi has many freshwater fish resources of high value and many types of rare waterfowl and even rare animals that are protected worldwide. Nearly 130 types of minerals have been found in Jiangxi; 28 of them are among the richest deposits in China, and 11 types are the first in order of the deposits' size. 7. Economy: In 2000, the gross domestic product of Jiangxi was 200.307 billion Yuan; the gross industrial and agricultural output value was 231.867 billion Yuan. The total value of imports and exports was 1,623.99 million US dollars; total provincial government revenue was 17.169 billion Yuan. The yield of grain was 16.146 million tons in 2000, the highest in history. However, the economic structure of Jiangxi is not very good: agriculture is relatively week, and it is difficult for farmers to increase production further; some enterprises have had a hard time, and there are increasing numbers of workers being laid off so reemployment has become an issue. 8. People's life: By the end of 2000, Jiangxi had a labor force of 28.982 million people, making up 70% of the total provincial population. The labor force resource utilization rate was 71.1%. The balance of saving deposits of urban-rural residents was 1,234 Yuan. The average wage of staff and workers was 7,014 Yuan, and the per capita net income of rural residents was 2,135 Yuan, the per capita annual disposable income of urban households was 5,104 Yuan. From 1978 to 2000, the average consumption level was 2,396 Yuan: 1,793 Yuan for rural residents and 4,488 Yuan for urban residents. The number of hospital beds was 62,500, and the number of doctors was 123,200. 9.Education: In 2000, higher education in Jiangxi developed rapidly. The province recruited 966 postgraduate students, with the number of graduate students being 2,118; higher education institutions had an enrolment of 144,293; specialized secondary schools, 160,022; vocational high schools, 107,203; junior high schools, 2,206,900 and primary schools 4,226,800. The primary school-age enrolment rate is 99.58%. |
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II. Population Situation |
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1. Size and Distribution The total population of Jiangxi Province in 2000 was 41.40 million. Compared with other provinces, the distribution of the population is much more even mainly because there is little difference in climate, landform and natural resources in different parts of the province. The rural population constitutes the majority of the province's population and they are scattered throughout the province. Most areas of Jiangxi are good for farming. But there are still regional differences in the distribution of the population: the density is higher along rivers and lakes and in plains and cities; the proportion of the population living in agricultural and mountainous areas is higher. 2. Population History The population history of Jiangxi can be divided into five periods: 1950 - 1952 was a period of fast population growth with an annual increase rate of 8.01%, 1953 - 1959 was the first peak of population increase with an annual rate of 2.56%; 1960 - 1962 was the trough of population growth. Affected by the disasters, the rate decreased to only 1.01% annually. The period 1963 - 1978 was the second peak of population growth with an annual rate of 2.82% or about 714,300 in absolute numbers annually. The period from 1979 up to the present is the period of planned birth control. An effective family planning program was carried out throughout the province; it successfully relieved the burden of the third peak of population growth. From 1982 to 1997, the population increased by 528,900 people each year, with the annual rate being 1.43%. In 2000, the crude birth rate was 15.55 per 1,000 and the natural growth rate was 9.48 per 1,000. 3. Population Structure by Sex and Age The sex ratio of Jiangxi had long been higher than that of average national level, always around 106 - 107 on the whole, but it stabilized in recent years. There are more males than females. In 2000, the sex ratio 108.31. In 2000, the population aged 0 - 14 made up 25.99% of the total; the 15 - 64 age group made up 67.90%; and those aged 65 and above made up 6.11% of the total. Jiangxi is considered an adult population. 4. Fertility Level and Changes There has been a transition in the ideology of population growth, from "there is abundant land but a small population so population growth should be encouraged" to "population growth should be controlled". The total fertility rate (TFR) of Jiangxi was one of the highest in China. But since the 1990s, thanks to the effective measures of family planning, the birth rate, TFR and multi-child rate have continued to decline. In 2000, the birth rate was 15.55 per 1,000; the natural increase rate was 9.48 per 1,000. According to population projections under three scenarios of high, medium and low growth, the population of Jiangxi will still increase in the next 40 years, and the maximum population may reach more than 50 million. The population increased most quickly during the 1990s. The overall trend of population growth will be from high to low, but it may bounce back in some years. 5. Mortality and Life Expectancy The mortality rate had been declining since the 1950s except for one or two years. In 1954, the mortality rate of Jiangxi was 14.15 per 1,000, and it was 6.07 per 1,000 in 2000. The male mortality rate is higher than that of females; the mortality in rural areas is higher than that of urban areas; the lower age-group population has a lower mortality, and the pattern of mortality has changed from a "U" to a "J" shape. According to the historical record, in the early 1950s, life expectancy was only 30 - 35 years; in 1990, it rose to 67.85. 6. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type According to the 1990 fourth national census, the age of the never-married population was generally 24 years and younger. Early marriage was widely practiced. Most females marry at the age of 20 - 24, males at 24 -29, and the percentage who never married is low. The proportion of the never-married population was higher in cities than in townships and rural areas. The proportion currently married was higher for females than for males, and higher in cities than in counties and towns. There were more widowed females than males, and the widowhood rate of counties was the highest. As for those divorced, both the quantity and rate were higher for males than for females, and the rate increased by age. There was no obvious difference between urban areas and rural areas in the divorce rate, but a regional difference was observed. In 1997, among the 30.764 million population aged 15 and above, there were 15.565 million males and 15.199 million females; the population in first marriages totalled 10.567 million males and 10.924 million females; the population in second marriages totalled 247,000 for males and 287,000 for females; the number of divorced males was 165,000 and females 53,000; and widowed males 531,000 and females 1,362,000. As for family size and structure, the proportion of three-generation or larger households is higher in rural areas than that in townships and counties. Two-generation households constitute the majority of all households, four-person households being the most common size. In 1990, the average size of family households was 4.40 person, but in 2000, it was 3.75, down 0.65. 7. Aging of the Population Although the population of Jiangxi is the adult type, the proportion of the elderly population is increasing at a rapid rate. In 1990, the proportion of the population aged 60 and above was 5.09%, but in 2000, it was 6.11%. Though the proportion was not very high, the aging of the population has become faster in the 1990s than in the 1980s due to the decline in the birth rate and the prolongation of life expectancy. It is projected that Jiangxi province will become an aged population around 2015. Over the eight years from 1982 to 1990, the proportion of the aged population currently-married and never-married increased, while the proportion of the divorced and widowed population decreased. About a quarter (24.27%) of elderly persons have a job. 8. Population Quality Since 1982, the education level of the Jiangxi population has improved considerably, the proportion of people with an education increased, and the size of the illiterate and semi-literate population decreased. In 2000, educated persons accounted for 92.17% of the province's population at age 6+, but mostly at the secondary and primary level. There is still a big gap between Jiangxi and the national average. 9. Migration and the Floating Population With China's reform and openness policy, both internal migration and inter-provincial migration have increased in Jiangxi. The size of inter-provincial migration is larger than intra-provincial migration; the direction of migration is from rural to urban areas; there are more male migrants than female migrants; there are various reasons for migration but mainly it is for finding a job or doing business, job transfer, and marriage. 10. Population, Resources and the Environment Jiangxi has rich resources, which include rivers and lakes, flora and minerals. However, Jiangxi also suffers many disasters such as floods, droughts, freezing weather and so on. The exploitation and utilization of resources can just meet the demands of economic development. There are still many problems, such as under-exploitation of mineral and hydro-power resources; destruction of natural resources and the environment due to inappropriate use and exploitation; the backward state of technology; loss of cultivated land to the process of industrialization. |
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III. Family Planning |
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The family planning program experienced three phases after 1949: Period of Family Planning Initiation In 1957, the Health Department of Jiangxi and the Women's Federation of Jiangxi reported to the Provincial Government about the need of the people for fertility regulation, and asked to conduct technical consulting and publicity activities involved with fertility regulation. In 1958, activities were initiated in eight cities including Nanchang. In 1971, the Provincial Government issued the "Notice about Strengthening Family planning", promoting later marriage and family planning. The provincial Family Planning Commission was established in 1972. In 1973, to deal with the problem of high parity births, the government promoted the concept of one couple having two children, and also instructed the Department of Public Health to strengthen publicity about fertility regulation and to screen/treat diseases of children and women. In 1974, the Provincial Family Planning Commission requested that the family planning program should be spread to the grassroots level and the idea of "more children, more welfare" and son preference should be changed. Government staff and officials were encouraged to practice contraception. Meanwhile, technical services related to fertility regulation became widely available. In 1978, the natural increase rate declined by 10% compared with that of 1966. Period of In-depth Development In 1980, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued "A letter to all Party members and Youth League members on the control of population growth." The Jiangxi provincial government called on all Party members, Youth League members and leading cadres to respond to the promotion of "one child for one couple." As a result, the contraceptive prevalence rate increased and the high parity birth rate declined. In 1983, the provincial government issued the "Regulation of Family Planning Implementation", which promoted later marriage, and later, fewer and healthier births. Period of Further Development In 1985, the provincial government issued the "Notice about contracts on the task of population control", which stipulated the use of the contract system for population control from 1985 to 2000. In 1986, the Family Planning Association of Jiangxi was established, and before long such associations were established at all levels. They did a considerable amount of work in consulting, supervising, service provision and publicity. Except for publicity and education, they also participated in poverty alleviation, helping poor families in terms of economic development. They also cooperated with insurance companies to alleviate people's worries by introducing insurance such as old age security for the parents of "only children". In 1987, the provincial government issued the "Specific Regulations of Family Planning Policy" for the purpose of strengthening the family planning work and management. With all these efforts, the rate of high parity births in 1988 decreased 2.18% compared with that of the previous year. In 1988, the Provincial Family Planning Commission organized experience exchange activities while promoting a basic-knowledge education movement as an important part of family planning. In 1990, 95% of the province's villages were included in the movement and in the same year the Provincial Family Planning Institute was established to strengthen research and provide technical support. To lead the family planning program in terms of legal management, in 1990, "Jiangxi Province Family Planning Regulation" was enacted to ensure that the family planning work would be carried out scientifically, normally and in a sustainable manner. Since the 1990s, the population size of Jiangxi has been increasing gradually, which put great pressure on the development of the social economy. To deal with the serious situation, Jiangxi did its best and make great achievements: the birth rate is stable with a slight decline; the education level of the population improved; both the general birth rate and high parity birth rate declined. In the year of 2000, the family planning rate was 94.73% and the contraceptive prevalence rate of married women was 88.93%. |
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