I. Rising income

Facts: At the beginning of China's opening-up in the late 1970s,anyone considered rich was called "a person with 10,000 yuan (US$1,205). That title is outdated as such people are too common to stand out, especially in cities and towns. Rapid economic growth has amazed the world for over two decades and multiplied personal wealth and household income.

Figures: Some 800 million people in the rural areas are better off, with their per capita net income increasing by 62 percent between 1990 and 2001. In cities and towns, working people's salaries have been raised for seven times in the period. The per capita income of urban residents in 2001 more than doubled that in1990. A more striking increase was reflected in more savings, with the total savings balance to date of rural and urban dwellers reaching 8 trillion yuan (US$964 billion), dwarfing the 500 billion yuan (US$60 billion) at the end of 1989.

II. Falling Engel coefficient

Facts: Chinese used to greet people with "Have you had your meal?" Now you seldom hear such a greeting. In the daily life of Chinese, the proportion of income spent on food is dropping.

Figures: The Engel coefficient, which indicates the proportion of food expenditure in total consumption, is an internationally acknowledged index showing a nation's living standards. In 1990, the coefficient stood at 54.2 percent for urban residents and 58.8percent for rural people. In 2000 it dropped below 50 percent for the first time, falling further to 37.9 percent for urban people and 47.7 percent for farmers in 2001.

III. More delicate food

During the past decade, Chinese people's diet has changed a lot, with staple food consumption going down and non-staple food consumption rising. It indicates that Chinese are having a more delicate and nutritious diet.

Figures: Urban people's consumption of grain decreased from 145kg per capita in the 1980s to 88 kg in the late 1990s, and the figure for farmers dropped from 260 kg to 250 kg in the same period. On the other hand, the consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood and vegetable oil rose and their ratio in the diet increased.

IV. Longer lifespan

Facts: On June 18, 2002, 116-year-old Du Pinhua, living in Leshan in southwest China's Sichuan Province, was honored as "the world's oldest person" and awarded the Guinness record certificate by the Shanghai Office of the Guinness Book of World Records. Living over 70 was regarded as rare in ancient China, it is common these days. Stable social environment and rising living standards as seen in nutrition, medical care enable Chinese to enjoy longer lives.

Figures: Life expectancy, a composite index reflecting people's health and cause of death, primarily depends on social and economic development and medical service in a country. From 1990 to 2000, Chinese people's life expectancy grew 2.85 years, up to 71.4, which is five years above world average and seven years above the average level in developing countries. According to statistics in developed countries like Britain, the United States and France, it took 100 years for their life expectancy to rise from 41 to 64.6, averaging a growth of 2.36 years for every decade.

V. Larger living space

Facts: In the past it was common for three generations to live together with minimal space. Both in cities and the countryside many shanties and old and unsafe houses existed. The situation has changed tremendously. During the past 13 years, various housing projects, such as renovating unsafe houses and building new houses for ordinary people, have helped many move into new comfortable homes, and also promoted a booming house property industry.

Figures: In the early 1990s, per capita floor space in cities and towns was a mere 6.7 sq. meters, and 17.8 sq. meters for those in the countryside. Now that figure has increased above 10 sq. meters in cities and towns, and 25 sq. meters in the countryside. Meanwhile, people live more comfortably than before with better decoration, furniture and domestic appliances.

VI. More private cars

Facts: China was once a nation of bicycles. Many foreigners were surprised when they first came to China at the sight of streams of bicycles on the streets. Some 13 years ago, few people had the desire to own a car. But rapid economic growth has made people increasingly wealthy, and more and more hope to own a car. In deed, many have made their dreams come true.

Figures: Since 1998, private purchase has accounted for over 50percent of total car sales in China, and this rate has even topped70 percent in some big and medium-sized cities. In cities, there are 100 cars for every 10,000 people. Nationwide, the number of private cars rose to 5.34 million in 1999 from 816,000 in 1990, up by 23.2 percent annually which was far higher than the growth of the total number of cars during the same period. Private cars managed to make up 40 percent of the country's total, up from 15 percent previously.

VII. Colorful clothes

Fashion has become hot in the country and more and more people are seeking stylish and individualized clothes. Old and middle-aged people choose to buy high-quality clothes, while young people love to follow the latest fashion. Enticing fashion brands, both domestic and international, show off their colorful styles in shops dotted along the streets.

Figures: In the early 1990s, people used to regard someone in a suit, tie and a pair of leather shoes as a well-dressed person. Now such dress is so common that nobody notices it. More than 90 percent of people have suits and leather shoes, and 88.7 percent of people are more likely to select clothes made of natural materials like cotton, hemp, wool and silk. Although the proportion of people's expenditure on clothes is falling, the total value is on the rise, up about 10 percent on a year-on-year basis in the past decade. Sales of ready-made clothes are increasing, up from 84.8 percent in 1995 to 93.6 percent in 2000.

VIII. Higher education

In the past 13 years, both governments and individual Chinese have enthusiastically paid unprecedented attention to education. The number of people attaining a higher learning qualification, including a bachelor's, master's and doctor's degree, is growing rapidly.

Figures: Nine-year compulsory education have been basically implemented across the country. The rate of children completing primary schooling and attending middle schools jumped from 74.6 percent in 1990 to 95.5 percent in 2001. The enrolled number of people into colleges and universities rose from 609,000 to 2.683 million over the same period. In the meantime, the rate of people attending higher learning institutions improved from barely 3.4 percent to 12 percent, which shows that higher learning education has become more accessible to the general public.

IX. Booming holiday travel

Facts: Chinese did not have much money 13 years ago, nor much leisure time. They stayed at home or went to visit relatives and friends. When traveling, they did not go far. Now well-off Chinese like to tour around the country and some even go abroad for traveling.

Figures: In 1989, only 240 million Chinese people traveled within China, but the figure soared to 780 million by 2001. In the early 1990s, only 3 million people went abroad each year, but the number hit 12.13 million in 2001. The money people spent on tourism increased by 167.6 percent from 1995 to 2000.

X. Faster communication

Facts: A decade ago, families used to contact each other by writing letters, or spending lavishly on a low quality long distance telephone call at post offices. Now many people seldom write a letter to their families or friends, instead they make phone calls with long-distance telephones at home or mobile phones, or send e-mails.

Figures: In the past, people with a telephone installed at home were envied by others. By the end of July this year, China's fixed telephone users exceeded 200 million, ranking first in the world. In 1988, mobile telephone service was opened to the public, now there are 180 million subscribers, also the first ranking in the world. In the early 1990s, few people knew of "worldwide web", now45 million Chinese surf on the Internet at least one hour a week. The number ranks the third in the world.

(People's Daily September 16, 2002)