China Under Communism
Geography 1002
Joseph Naumann
1
The Forbidden City remains a
focal point of cultural pride
2
POPULATION DENSITY 2000 CE
What if the world were a village?
What is The World Village Project?
Imagine that this web page is a village. However, this village
represents the planet Earth. If we were to reduce the world
population to a village of 1000 inhabitants with all existing human
ratios remaining the same then, this would be our reality...
Men and Woman
3
URBAN CHINA
360 MILLION CHINESE LIVE IN CITIES
31% URBANIZED
LARGEST CITIES ARE INSIGNIFICANT ON A
GLOBAL SCALE
URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
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AIR POLLUTION
CONGESTION
WATER POLLUTION
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Coastal Cities Are Booming
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ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
PROBLEMS STEMMED FROM THE STATE
CONTROLLED ECONOMY.
SERIOUS ENERGY SHORTAGE
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
POORLY DEVELOPED
POPULAR RESISTANCE AND CHANGES IN
CENTRAL POLICY HAVE WEAKENED
CHINA’S POPULATION CONTROL
PROGRAM.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
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Disparity in Economic Output
Coastal
areas are
booming
West

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Drier
Less
population
More
ethnically
diverse
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REORGANIZATION UNDER
COMMUNISM
1950s - 1976 COMMUNIST REGIME LAUNCHED
MASSIVE PROGRAMS OF RECONSTRUCTION AND
REFORM
BASED ON THE SOVIET MODEL
LAND WAS EXPROPRIATED.
FARMING WAS COLLECTIVIZED.
INDUSTRIES WERE REORGANIZED AS STATEOWNED COMMUNAL ENTERPRISES.
EMPHASIS ON “HEAVY INDUSTRY”
DRAMATIC SOCIAL CHANGES- EDUCATION,
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RELIGION, POPULATION GROWTH
Social Effects of “Communism”
Increased opportunities for women
Education for all – increased literacy
State tried to replace the extended family
as the source of security for individuals –
the price of security has always been
conformity
Contact with other cultures was kept to a
minimum until the era of Deng Xiaoping
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Mao Zedong’s Miscalculations
Great Leap Forward (Giant step backward)

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1958-62 – Second Five-year Plan
Backyard blast furnaces
Communes
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution



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1966-69
To purge unacceptable elements from
leadership – eliminate Western influences
Red Guard got out of control
Economy was set back greatly
10
ENERGY
RESOURCES
11
DENG XIAOPING ERA
TOOK POWER IN 1979 AS A “PRAGMATIC
MODERATE”
ATTEMPTED TO WED COMMUNIST
POLITICAL RULE WITH CAPITALIST
ECONOMIC PRACTICES
OPENED CHINA TO FOREIGN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
PERMITTED STUDENTS TO STUDY ABROAD
12
1989 Tiananmen Square
Students demonstrated for increased levels
of democracy in China
Leadership didn’t use force at first, so the
demonstration grew in size and gained
international attention

Role of technology – fax machines, etc.
The Communist Party’s resolve to maintain
absolute power prevailed and troops ended
the demonstration
The concept of democracy may not be dead
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Spring, 1989
Students mass in
Tiananmen Square
to call for greater
democratization
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Goddess of Democracy:
Symbol of Tiananmen Square
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Freedom call
Crowd control
Hunger strike
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Civilians Confront &
Temporarily Stop the PLA
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Military Force
Prevails
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10 year
anniversary
BEIJING
HONG KONG MEMORIAL
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DENG XIAOPING
INTRODUCED ECONOMIC
LIBERALIZATION MEASURES
DECENTRALIZED DECISION-MAKING
SHIFTED TO THE RESPONSIBILITY
SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURE
CREATED SEZs, OPEN CITIES, OPEN
COASTAL AREAS
ATTEMPTED TO CREATE A “SOCIALIST
MARKET ECONOMY”
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ECONOMIC INITIATIVES
SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES


5 SEZs ESTABLISHED; 3 IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE
INVESTMENT INCENTIVES: LOW TAXES,
IMPORT/EXPORT REGULATIONS EASED, LAND LEASES
SIMPLIFIED, ETC
OPEN CITIES
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INCLUDED 14 COASTAL CITIES
SCALED BACK TO 4 CITIES
NATIONAL INVESTMENT FOCUSED ON SHANGHAI
OPEN COASTAL AREAS
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ALSO DESIGNED TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
CONCENTRATED ALONG PACIFIC COAST DELTAS AND
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PENINSULAS
SPECIAL ECONOMIC
ZONES
INVESTOR INCENTIVES
LOW TAXES
EASING OF IMPORT AND EXPORT
REGULATIONS
SIMPLIFIED LAND LEASES
HIRING OF CONTRACT LABOR PERMITTED
PRODUCTS MAY BE SOLD IN FOREIGN
MARKETS AND IN CHINA (UNDER CERTAIN
RESTRICTIONS)
LOCATION WAS PRIME CONSIDERATION
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CHINA’S
ECONOMIC
ZONES
• DISPARITY:
• COASTAL
CHINA
• INTERIOR
CHINA
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Economic Development: The
Golden Coastline
From the
east to
the west,
it’s less
developed
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OPEN CITIES
SIZE
OVERSEAS TRADING HISTORY
LINKS TO “OVERSEAS CHINESE”
LEVELS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
POOL OF LOCAL TALENT AND LABOR
CONFINED TO COASTAL AREAS
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HONG KONG
MEANS “FRAGRANT HARBOR”- AN EXCELLENT
DEEP WATER PORT
BOOMED DURING THE KOREAN WAR
6 MILLION PEOPLE WITHIN 400 SQ MILES
ECONOMY IS LARGER THAN HALF OF THE
WORLD’S COUNTRIES – Great benefit to China
1 JULY 1997- BRITISH TRANSFERRED CONTROL
TO CHINA– many businesses remained there
HONG KONG RENAMED XIANGGANG
ACQUIRED A NEW STATUS AS CHINA’S ONLY
SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (SAR)
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Industrial North:
China’s Rust Belt
Formerly called
Manchuria
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Shanghai and the
Yangtze River
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Agriculture Remains Important: Rice
in south & wheat in North
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China is becoming less,
and less “Communist.”
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