China is prosperous today, but this country has also gone through the worst phase of poverty.
US President Donald Trump is on a tour of his rival China amid ongoing tensions with Iran. He got a warm welcome there. He will hold bilateral talks after meeting with President Xi Jinping. There is also a big delegation with him. Today, China, which is considered a threat by America as the most powerful country, was once very poor. There was food to eat. There was not even drinking water, but with its survival, hard work and technology, China has progressed so much that both friends and enemies are looking at it with greedy eyes.
Come, let us know with this excuse that what was the condition of today’s extremely prosperous China when it was very poor? How difficult was the life of the people there? How did this country go from poor to rich?
Very interesting China’s development journey
Today’s China is counted among the largest economies of the world. The cities are modern. He has big industries. It is a fast train. It has a huge export network. But China was not always like this. There was a time when there was deep poverty there. Crores of people lived in hunger, disease and insecurity. There was shortage of clean water in many areas. Farming was weak. There were very few industries. The country was struggling with war, political turmoil and wrong policies. The story of China is special because it rose from the very bottom and took a huge leap of development. This change did not happen in a day. Took decades. There were mistakes in this also. Improvements also took place. It is important to understand this entire journey.
There was a time when there was a lot of poverty in China.
What was it like when China was very poor?
In the first half of the twentieth century, China was going through very difficult times. The country remained unstable for a long time. First the empire weakened. Then internal conflicts increased. Local forces had dominance over many areas. Then there was war with Japan. After that the civil war started. All this broke the country’s economy. The situation was worse in the villages. Farming was done using old methods. Production was less. The farmers were poor. The distribution of land was unequal. Many people were in debt. Floods, droughts and natural disasters also caused frequent losses. Transportation was poor. Therefore, it was difficult to transport the food grains from where they were to the needy areas.
There was not much prosperity in the cities either. Some port cities were certainly active, but industries throughout the country were very limited. There were less machines. Technology was less. The level of education was also weak. Health services also reached very few people.
When were the worst times?
If we talk about the worst period, then the time between 1958 to 1962 is considered very frightening for China. This period is usually called the crisis of the time of the Great Leap Forward. This was the time when large-scale food crisis and famine-like situations arose. At that time the government tried to increase industrial and agricultural production very rapidly. Collective farming was taken forward. Villages were converted into big communes. At many places the production figures were inflated. Wrong information reached the top. The policy was made on that basis. In many places, the state purchased grains more than the actual production.
The time between 1958 and 1962 is considered very frightening for China.
The result was that people in the villages had less food grains left. During this time the weather also hit. Administrative mistakes were made. All this together turned into a huge tragedy. It affected the lives of not just lakhs, but crores of people. In many studies, this period is counted among the biggest humanitarian crises in modern history.
Food famine and water problem
China’s crisis was not limited to grains only. There was also a shortage of clean drinking water in many areas. In rural areas, wells, ponds and local water sources were the only support. The system of safe drinking water was very weak. This caused diseases to spread. Malnutrition and infection went together. Water crisis has been a long-standing problem in some parts of northern China. There was limited water there. There was relatively more water in the south, but floods and water management had their own problems. That means China had water, but its distribution and management was not balanced. Being a poor country, it was not easy to build water infrastructure on a large scale.
Then how did the change begin?
The big turning point in China came after 1978. This was the period when economic reforms began under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. China understood that slogans and strict controls alone would not bring prosperity. Production will have to be increased. People will have to be encouraged to work and earn. Trade with the world will have to be increased. From here, China gradually changed its economic thinking. He did not completely abandon the old system, but made major reforms in it. This became the strength of China. He didn’t change everything suddenly. He made phased reforms.
Economic reforms started in China under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.
Agricultural reform gave first relief
The first impact was seen in farming. China gave more responsibility and some freedom to the farmers. In this, families were given the responsibility of production on the basis of land use. They used to supply grains to the state up to the stipulated limit. They could have got profit on more production than that. Due to this, farmers started seeing the direct benefits of their hard work. Production increased. Income increased in villages. Food crisis reduced. This was a huge change. Only when the stomach started filling, further economic journey became possible.
Big step towards industry and trade
After agriculture, China increased emphasis on industry. He created special economic zones in some specific areas. Foreign investment was attracted in these areas. The rules were relaxed to some extent. Companies were given opportunities for production, export and employment. China started making goods cheaply and on a large scale for the world. Textiles, toys, electronics, machines and later high-tech products also started being manufactured. Capital came from abroad. Technology came. New methods of management came. Due to this, China’s industrial base became stronger.
Cheap labour, discipline and the role of the state
China had a large population. For a long time wages were lower than in Western countries. Due to this, China started becoming the manufacturing center of the world. But cheap labor was not the only reason. China built roads. Build a port. Provided electricity. Created industrial clusters i.e. the government invested heavily in infrastructure. The role of the state was very important. China gave space to the market, but did not leave it completely open and uncontrolled. The government decided the direction in many areas. His influence remained on banking, land, energy and big industries. With this he could set big goals.
After agriculture, when China increased emphasis on industry, the economic situation improved.
Education, Health and Human Capital
Prosperity does not come from factories alone. The capability of the people is also important. China gradually expanded education. Literacy increased. Technical training increased. Schools and universities were strengthened. Similarly, basic health services also improved. This made the labor force more efficient. When education increases in a poor society, productivity also increases. This is what China did. He connected people from village to city with the economic process. Crores of people moved out of farming and into industry and service sectors. This was one of the biggest socio-economic changes in the world.
Cities development and export model
China also made urbanization a means of development. New cities were built. Old cities expanded. A large number of people moved from rural areas to cities. There they found work in factories, construction, transportation and services. The export-led development model gave China a rapid pace. Companies from all over the world produced in China. China gradually did not limit itself to only cheap goods. It also entered machinery, electronics, solar panels, telecommunications equipment and advanced manufacturing.
The export development model gave a fast pace to China and companies from all over the world started production in China.
Was everything easy?
The journey to China was not easy. There were many problems with this also. There was disparity between village and city. Environmental pollution increased. There was pressure on workers. The income gap widened in some areas. Water crisis is still a challenge in many parts of China. Nevertheless, overall the country reduced extreme poverty to a large extent. It has been believed in many studies around the world that China has brought crores of people out of poverty. This achievement is very big. However, its model cannot be applied in the same way to every country, because the politics, society and resources of every country are different.
It can be said that China gradually became prosperous. The message of his success is clear. Resources alone are not enough. Right policy, production, discipline, structure and long-term planning are also necessary. China learned from mistakes. Then changed course. This became his biggest strength. This became the inspiration.
Also read: Which state provides the most sugar to the country? Demand till Indonesia
