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China Regional Distinctions
Regional distinctions in ways of life and standards of living
were marked in traditional China and continue to have a strong
influence on contemporary Chinese society. China's size, poorly
developed transportation system, and state controls on migration
mean that regional differences in income and in life chances remain
large. Contemporary Chinese commentary, while certainly explicit on
the role of class, has tended to ignore regional variation. This
may reflect the characteristic emphasis on Chinese unity and
uniformity, as well as the difficulty of fitting regional analysis
into a Marxist framework. Nevertheless, both geographical position
and a community's position in administrative and regional
hierarchies act to limit income from sideline occupations, cash
crops, village industries, and even such matters as marriage
choices.
Incomes and educational standards in the 1980s were highest in
the productive lower Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Valley and central
Guangdong Province regions and lowest in the semi-arid highlands of
the northwest and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, as they had been
since the late nineteenth century. The lowest incomes and living
standards were in the peripheral areas inhabited by minority
nationalities. Within all regions, there were distinctions between
urban cores, intermediate areas, and peripheries. Villages on the
outskirts of major cities had more opportunities for production of
cash crops such as vegetables, more opportunities in sideline
occupations or subcontracting for urban factories, and easier
access to urban services and amenities. Higher village incomes were
reflected in better housing, higher school attendance, wellappointed village meeting halls, and a high level of farm and
domestic mechanization. For settlements on the periphery, however,
even if only a short distance from urban centers, transportation
was difficult. Such settlements had changed little in appearance
since the 1950s and devoted most of their land and work force to
growing staple grains. Many children in these villages dropped out
of school before completing primary education, as physical strength
and endurance were more highly regarded than book learning.
There is clearly a degree of overlap in the four fields of
social differentiation (work units, party membership, urban-rural
distinctions, and regional distinctions). The top of the hierarchy
is occupied by those who work in state organizations, belong to the
party, live in a major city, and inhabit a prosperous region.
Correspondingly, the least favored inhabitants are peasants whose
villages are located in the remote parts of poor regions. What is
most impressive about social differentiation in modern China is the
extent to which key variables such as region and rural or urban
status are ascribed, and not easily changed by individual effort.
This is the negative side of the security and stability that
attracted China's populace to the party and its programs.
Data as of July 1987
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