Social Change and its Potential Impacts on Chinese Population Health

Abstract

his chapter aims to analyze the relationship between social change and the population’s health by presenting a case study of that relationship from the People’s Republic of China (China). With a territory of 9.6 million square kilometers, it is ranked the third largest country in the world. It’s population reached 1.25 billion in the year 2000, which ranks it the first in the world. China is considered one of few Socialist States in the world. Administratively, China is divided into 23 provinces (including Taiwan), 5 autonomous regions, 2 special administration regions, and 4 municipalities. The government structure from the top to the bottom includes the Central Government, Provincial Government, Prefecture and City Government, District (in the urban area)/County (in the rural area) Government, and Resident Street (in the urban area)/ Township (in the rural area) Government. Although the Neighborhood Committee (in the urban area)/ the Village Committee (in the rural area) also plays administration roles at the bottom, below the resident street/ township government. It is considered, as the extension, not the formal entity within the government structure. Within the past 25 years, China has experienced transformation of its economic system from a highly centralized planned economy toward a market oriented economic system. This process has led to massive and rapid changes in all aspects of society with profound effects on the population’s health in the large parts of the country. Along with the material prosperity, the living conditions of Chinese people, such as food, shelter, and sanitation status, have been improving steadily. People have more capability to purchase health related merchandise as well as health