Shaanxi |
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I. Basic Data |
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1. Name: Shaanxi Province 2. Area: 205,600 square kilometers 3. Population: 36.05 million (the 2000 population census) 4. Provincial Capital: Xi'an 5. Geography: Shaanxi Province is located in north-western China, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, between 31° 42' - 39° 35'N latitude and 105° 29'-110° 15'E longitude. It borders on Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia provinces. Shaanxi is located within both the temperate and subtropical zones, and has clear monsoon climate features. The northern part of Shaanxi is loess plateau, the middle part is the Guanzhong plain, and the southern part is the Qin-Ba mountainous area. 6. Natural Resources: Shaanxi's plant and animal resources, mineral resources, and energy resources take a very important position in China. There are more than 4,800 types of plants and nearly a thousand animal species, including the nationally protected animal the great panda bear, the snub-nosed monkey, the takin, and tiger. There are more than 80 minerals resources; coal reserves are the country's third largest, and its natural gas fields is the largest. 7. Economy: In 2000, the gross domestic product of Shaanxi was 166.092 billion Yuan, the value of gross industrial and agricultural output was 225.248 billion Yuan; that of industrial output alone was 178.759 billion Yuan. Total imports and exports have increased rather rapidly to 2,140.10 million US dollars. The total retail sales of consumer goods was 60.761 billion Yuan; total provincial government revenue was 18.700 billion Yuan. 8. People's life: By the end of 2000, Shaanxi had employed persons of 18.13 million. The total wages of staff and workers was 25.728 billion Yuan, and the average annual wage of staff and workers was 7,804 Yuan, total social insurance and welfare funds of employed and retired staff and workers reached 4.115 billion Yuan. The per capita net income of rural residents was 1,444 Yuan. The living space per capita for urban residents was 13.35 m2, and for rural residents 22.87 m2. The value of average household consumption was 2,035 Yuan, 1,186 for rural residents and 4,891 for urban residents. The number of hospital beds per 10,000 persons was 25, and the number of doctors per 10,000 persons was 18. 9. Education: For various historical reasons, the average education level of the population in Shaanxi is relatively low. At the end of 2000, 39 higher education institutions in Shaanxi Province had a student enrolment of 241,700 with 20,723 teachers; 3,247 secondary schools had a student enrolment of 2,668,900 with 143,972 teachers; 33,336 primary schools had a student enrolment of 4,809,300 with 182,297 teachers. |
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II. Population Situation |
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1. Size and Distribution The total population of Shaanxi in 2000 was 36.05 million, i.e. in the middle level of all provinces. The distribution of the population in the southern, northern, and central parts of Shaanxi is uneven. Over half of the total population is living in the Guanzhong plain that accounts for only 26.94% of the total land area of the province. Such a situation is due to the natural environment, geography and economic development level of the province. The rural population has always been larger than the urban population before 1996. With the decline in the rural fertility rate and rural-to-urban migration occurring in recent years, the proportion of the rural population decreased gradually. In 2000, the rural population was 24.42 million while the urban population was 11.63 million, or accounting 67.74% and 32.36% respectively to total popualtion. 2. Population History The development of Shaanxi's population can be divided into six phases: 1949-1957: with the recovery and development of the economy, the population mortality rate declined rapidly, plus a large amount of in-migrants took up residence in the province, after which the first high peak of population growth appeared with an annual rate of 4%, i.e. over 600,000 persons annually. 1958-1961: the people' s livelihood and health was affected by economic difficulties and natural disasters, but thanks to a fine agricultural foundation, the population growth rate did not become negative which had occurred in many other provinces. In this period, the population growth rate was 2.22%. 1962-1973: with the recovery of the national economy, the birth rate increased continuously. Especially in the period of the Cultural Revolution, birth control was completely ignored with the population growth at an annual rate of 2.38%, or about 738,100 annually. This large population cohort had a negative influence on subsequent development of socio-economic and population plans. 1974-1985: family planning was carried out in the whole province, and the population growth rate was controlled to some degree with an annual growth of 1.17%. 1986-1992: in spite of the third peak of population growth due to the previous one from the 1960s to the 1970s, the total population increased at the annual rate of only 1.8%, owing to the important role played by family planning. 1993 - the present: population growth has been kept at a low rate. During the five years from 1993 to 1997, the annual growth rate was only 1.02%. From 1990 to 2000, the growth rate was 9.63% and annual growth rate was 0.89%. 3. Population Structure by Sex and Age The sex ratio of the Shaanxi population was always above the average national level, i.e. around 108 - 109 since the 1980s. As a result of a high sex ratio before and in the early 1950s, the sex ratio of the older age group is too high. In addition, the sex ratio at birth is also high. In 2000, the population aged 0 - 14 made up 25.01% of the total population; those aged 15 - 64 accounted for 69.06% of the total and those 65 and above comprised 5.93% of the total population. The total dependency ratio stood at 44.82%, with the young age and old age dependency ratios being 36.22% and 8.59% respectively. The age structure of Shaanxi has reached the upper-limit of the adult type population and is at the door of becoming an aged population. 4. Fertility Level and Changes Shaanxi is one of the provinces with a high rate of population increase. In the 1950s and 1960s, the total fertility rate (TFR) was at a high level, nearly 6. Since the 1970s, the TFR declined rapidly due to family planning. However, there are still regional differences: lower in well-developed areas but higher in less-developed areas. In 1999, the birth rate was 12.51% per 1,000, the natural growth rate was 6.13% per 1,000. According to population projections under three scenarios, high, medium and low, the total population of Shaanxi will still increase early in the next century. It will become a zero-increase population at about 2035, and thereafter decrease. 5. Mortality and Life Expectancy With the development of the economy, culture and public health, the mortality rate of Shaanxi declined quickly, especially the infant mortality rate. Female mortality is lower than that of males. Urban mortality declined more rapidly than that of rural areas. The mortality rate of Shaanxi in 1954 was 11.05 per 1,000 and in 1999 it was 6.38 per 1,000. In 1958, the life expectancy of Shaanxi was 53 years, and it rose to 67.9 for males and 72.21 for females in 1990, according to the fourth national census. 6. Marriage Status, Family Size and Type The growth of the population without control in the 1960s and 1970s led to a peak in the marriage-age population and currently-married population in the 1980s and 1990s. Early marriage and having more children are more popular in rural than in urban areas. The proportion currently-married is higher among rural than urban females, while that of rural males is higher only in the 19 - 29 age-group. Rural males face more difficulties in getting married. In 1997, of the total 26.249 million population aged 15 and above, males were 13.335 million and females were 12.914 million; of the currently-married population of first marriages, males totalled 9.444 million and females 9.762 million; of the currently-married population of second marriages, males were 176,000 and females 206,000; of the divorced population, males were 133,000 and females 52,000; of the widowed population, males were 527,000 and females 995,000. In 1999, among the 26.058 million population in the 15 and above group, unmarried people accounted 18.81%, the first marriage having spouses people accounted 73.15%, the non-first marriages having spouses people accounted 1.62%, the divorced people accounted 0.87%, and the widowed people accounted 5.56%. The average family size in Shaanxi was above the national level. In 2000, the former was 3.57 while the latter was 3.44. Also, the size of the average family household has been decreasing. The family size of cities and counties was smaller than that of rural areas. The families were mainly in two-generation structures and families of one couple were increasing gradually. 7. Aging of the Population The rate of increase of the elderly population was faster than that of the total population. In 2000, the population aged 65 and above made up 5.93% of the total population and had reached the upper limit of an adult population. In addition, the age structure of the elderly is also becoming older. It is estimated that the population of Shaanxi will become an aged one in the first decade of the twenty-first century, and reach a peak in the 2020s, thereafter subsiding in the 2040s and 2050s. So the establishment of an old-age support system should be given special attention. 8. Population Quality The baseline of education in Shaanxi is lower than the national average and the illiteracy rate has always been above the national level. There are also regional differences between rural and urban areas. Women have fewer opportunities of receiving an education. In recent years, under the principle of "developing the country depends on science and technology", the proportion of the educated population is increasing. In 2000, it reached 90% of the population at age 6+. 9. Migration and the Floating Population Because Shaanxi is a less-developed inland province, migration progressed at a slower rate than that of well-developed areas. Migration was mainly intra-provincial migration. In 1997, there were 514,500 in-migrants; among them 438,000 were from the same province and 76,500 from other provinces. Among the 446,500 who emigrated, the intra-provincial migrants were 373,000 and the inter-provincial migrants were 73,500. Intra-provincial migration was much higher than inter-provincial migration. In 2000, the net migration rate was 5.72 per 1,000. 10. Population, Resources and the Environment The distribution of population and resources can be divided into three areas. In the northern part, land resources are rich but soil erosion is serious and the economic level is low. Guanzhong has high-quality land, and the agricultural condition is fine, but fresh water resources are scarce, the population density is high, and the employment problem is very serious. In the southern part, there are rich mineral resources and waterpower resources, but the area is mountainous, farmland is scarce, and population density is very high and with a lot of people living below the poverty line. The distribution of the population, labor resources and technological human resources is inversely related to the natural resources. Water shortages, poor per capita resources, soil erosion, desert encroachment and deterioration of the ecological environment are all problems that need to be solved immediately. |
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III. Family Planning |
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History The Initial Period of Family Planning (1949 - 1961) In the early 1950s, the population increased rapidly and the conflict between economic development and population growth first appeared. From 1954 to 1957, according to a document by the Ministry of Public Health on contraception and abortion, the Provincial Department of Public Health led the movement of fertility regulation in areas with high population density. From 1957 to 1958, the provincial government arranged a large-scale publicity campaign for family planning. But the work was stopped during 1959-61. Period of Practice of Family Planning (1962 - 1970) In 1962, the national economy recovered but was followed by a baby boom. In 1964, the total population of Shaanxi broke through the 20 million mark, so the family planning program started to get attention. In 1963, the Provincial Family Planning Commission was established, and local offices of counties and municipalities were equipped with professional personnel. While family planning was carried out in urban areas, it was spread to rural areas too. In addition, economic policies were introduced to encourage fertility regulation; for example, women were given paid leave after contraceptive operations, wages and other benefits were confirmed by regulations, and regulations on the management of family planning expenses were formulated too. The "Cultural Revolution", which started in 1966, interrupted the daily work of family planning. The population subsequently reached 26.10 million in 1973. Period of Resumption and Development of Family Planning (1971 - 1978) After 1971, family planning resumed, and population was made a component in the plan of economic development. Related policies were subsequently issued, such as benefits in housing distribution for couples practicing family planning. "Later marriage (25 years of age for males and 23 for females) and one child for one couple" was promoted. Meanwhile, family planning terms were enlarged and contraceptive operations equipment was improved in rural areas. As a result, the birth rate declined from 30.4% per 1,000 in 1971 to 18.2% per 1,000 in 1977. Period of Deepening of Family Planning (1979 to present) After 1978, family planning became a national policy. Early in the 1980s, the provincial government put forward the policy that both agricultural production and population growth should be emphasized alike. In 1981, "Regulation of Family Planning Trial Implementation" was issued, which marked the beginning of legal management of family planning. In 1991, the provincial government decided to connect the family planning program with its poverty alleviation plan, and meanwhile the only-child insurance and two-daughter old-age support insurance policies were also introduced as effective measures to encourage fertility control and family planning. In 1989, a program on women's employment and fertility was held through the joint efforts of the Population Research Institute of Xi'an Transportation University and other organizations concerned. During three years, this program made remarkable progress in training women about population theory and health care knowledge. The program also enhanced the employment of women. The fertility of the women included in this program declined sharply. In addition, the Population Association of Shaanxi was founded in 1981 to ensure the development of research work on family planning. Since the 1980s, family planning work has made great achievements: the rapid growth of the population was controlled and the third baby boom passed smoothly; the educational level and people's health improved greatly; the pattern of reproduction of the population began to change toward "low fertility, low mortality, low increase rate". The ideas of the people with regard to marriage and fertility have changed; more couples now practice family planning than in the 1980s. In 2000, the family planning rate was 96.29% and contraceptive prevalence rate of married women was 90.59%. |
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