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China Building Materials
Large-scale capital construction dramatically increased the
demand for building materials. Like the chemical fertilizer
industry, cement production featured simultaneous development of
small-scale plants and large, modern facilities. Widespread
construction of small-scale cement plants began in 1958. By the
mid-1970s, these plants existed in 80 percent of China's counties;
in 1984 they accounted for a major share of national cement output.
These local plants varied widely in size and technology. In 1983
China produced approximately 108 million tons of cement, second in
the world to the Soviet Union. In 1984 production increased 14
percent, to 123 million tons and, except for Xizang and Ningxia Hui
autonomous regions, every province, autonomous region, and
municipality had plants capable of producing 500,000 tons of cement
per year.
China's building-materials industry developed rapidly and
reached an output value of -Y28.7 billion in 1984. It manufactured
over 500 types of products and employed approximately 3.8 million
people in 1984. These materials were used in the metallurgy,
machinery, electronics, aviation, and national-defense industries,
and civil engineering projects. The main production centers for
building materials were Beijing, Wuhan, and Harbin.
By the mid-1980s, China was one of the world's primary
producers of plate glass, a critical building material. Production
in 1984 reached 48.3 million cases, and twenty urban glass
factories each produced 500,000 cases annually. Three large glass
plants, each having a production capacity of 1.2 million standard
cases, were scheduled for completion in 1985 in Luoyang,
Qinhuangdao, and Nanning.
Data as of July 1987
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