Fujian
I. Basic Figures
II. Population Situation
By the end of 1997, Fujian’s population totaled 33.32 million, ranked the eighteenth in China. The total land area is 121.4 thousand square kilometer, which accounts for 1.26% in China’s total. The population density is relatively high. Fujian’s population is also unevenly distributed, which is obvious in total province, even in township and village. Most people live in coastal area, some basins among mountains and river valleys. It had 48 nationalities in 1990.
According the different growth rate of population, five phrases are divided.
The first phrase, 1949~1959, was the first peak of baby boom. The increase rate per year was 2.63%.
The second phrase, 1960~1961, was characterized as low growth, with the increase rate per year is only 6.8%.
The third phrase, 1962~1973, was the second peak of population growth. Population increased by 28.94%, and on the average, the yearly net increment was 530 thousand.
The forth phrase, 1974~1981, was defined as the low growth phrase, with the increase rate per year was 19.62%.
Then, following the third peak of population growth, 1982~1990, the net increment per year rise to 527 thousand, and increase rate was 19.03%.
The present phrase, 1990~ now, was the period with low population growth.
Fujian’s population sex composition is with following characteristics. Firstly, the sex ratio of total population stands at relatively high level for a long time. In 1953, the figure was 106.38. It rise to 106.63 in 1990, and in 1997, it declined to 105.2, a little higher than the normal level. Secondly, a remarkable rise is shown on infant sex ratio. In 1997, the sex ratio of 0~4 age group increased to 128.6, comparing with 109.94 of 1990. This unbalanced sex ratio means that the proportion of male in young age group was higher than that of female. Thirdly, the sex ratio of middle age is dramatically high. In 1997, sex ratio of 45~59 age group were all over 112, the highest in 55~59, 120, which was contrary to the fact that it is generally below 100.
Making a comprehensive survey on the change of age structure since 1990, it can be found that the proportion of aged 65 and above increased from 5.1% in 1990 to 7.1% in 1997, which marked the beginning of demographic transition from adult population to aged population. Meanwhile, proportion of the young dropped continually, from 31.5% in 1990 to 28.3% in 1997. The median age of Fujian’s population rise from 23.45 to 26.65. The dependency ratio of the young declined evidently, from 49.6% of 1990 to 43.8 of 1997. Corresponding, the dependency ratio of the aged increased 3.1 percent, and reached 11.1%.
Since 1950, fertility has undergone a procedure from high level to low. The boundary is 1972 when Fujian began to implement FP program. Before it, population kept on unplanned growth and the average TFR for 22 years stood at 5.99. Since 1972, fertility gradually transforms from natural statue to planned control. As it turned out, remarkable achievements have been made. In 1997, TFR of Fujian was 1.3, CBR was 12.41‰, the natural increase rate was 6.32‰. The population projection on future population growth shows that, the current peak of baby boom will continue to the end of this century. In 2009 or so, population growth will reach a new peak.
Before the liberation, thanks to the undeveloped economy, inaccessible transportation, the mortality rate of Fujian was relatively high. With the rapid development of economy and improvement of living condition since liberation, it reduced dramatically. Except that during 1959~1962 when a natural calamity influenced all China, the mortality at that period rise greatly, in other years, it drops consistently. In 1980s’, it stood at a certain point. In 1997, it was 6.09‰. The infant mortality rate kept on the low level since 1970s. According to the statistics of the 1990, the IMR was 25.59‰. But the fact can’t be ignored that there were some underreporting in the data related to mortality.
The average life expectancy at birth rises greatly since liberation. Based on the data from model survey in 1957, the life expectancy of urban male was 62.75, that of urban female was 65.27, that of rural male was 57.78, and that of rural female was 59.71. According to the 1982 census, the life expectancy of male became 66.41, with female 70.90. In 1990, male life expectancy was up to 68.39, and female 72.63. For total population, the life expectancy of 1990 was 70.45, higher than the national level.
The census in 1990 showed that the proportion of unmarried male was higher than that of female. The sex ratio on unmarried population was 152.45. Men occupied higher proportion than women did in the permanent unmarried population. Early marriage was common, and most happened in rural areas. The early marriage rate of men increased greatly, with that of women always in high level. The average age at first marriage had been reducing significantly. In 1990, that of men was 23.6, and women 21.4. The proportion of widow expressed a declining tendency. The widow proportion of men was lower than that of women. The divorced proportion for total was very low, and it hadn’t any great change. The divorced proportion rise step by step with aged. There wasn’t any significant difference between urban and rural areas. In 1997, the average age at first marriage for women was 22.58. In above 15 aged population, the unmarried proportion was 22.3 percent, proportion of first married was 68.8 percent, proportion of remarried was 1.5 percent, that of divorced 0.6 percent, and that of widow 6.8 percent. Those figures were nearly the same as that of 1996, which showed that the marriage statue of Fujian is stable.
In term of family size, the average household size in Fujian was 4.41 of 1990 census. In 1997, it was 3.8. The average households size trends to fall down. The family with over 6 person accounted for 13.3% and family with 4 person accounted for 25.7% in 1997. The proportions of nuclear family and single household tend to be rising.
According to the data from 1990 census, aged population of Fujian increased rapidly. The proportion of elderly over 65 years old reached 5.07% by 1990, which lower than the average national level. Date from the sample survey at the end of 1997 shown the number of elderly over 65 increased up to 2.34 million. The population aging speed of Fujian is faster than the average national level. In term of the age structure of aged population, the young aged population is the majority, which mainly the below 75 years old elderly. The proportion of unmarried and divorced in elderly is very low. Most elderly live in the three-generation families.
Education composition in Fujian has altered greatly since 1949. Population with college or higher education level has increased dramatically, and the proportion of illiterate and semi-illiterate has declined. On the average, education level in urban is higher that in rural, the education level of male is higher than that of female obviously. In 1997, the illiterate rate in Fujian was 17.5%. Among the population aged above 6, those who received the primary school education accounted for 46%, those who received the senior school education took the 27%, high school was 9.4%, college and above was 2.6%.
The population migration in Fujian is mainly the short-distance intra-provincial migration, although the migration between provinces tends to rising. The emigration out of province distributes all over the country, mainly to the following eight province: Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan Province. The sex ratio of emigrants is higher than that of immigrants. Proportion of Emigrants with Senior and above school attained out of province is higher than that of immigrants from other provinces. International population migration and floating became frequent recently. Overseas Chinese, compatriots in Hongkong, Macao, and Taiwan, are the main immigrants, and it shows to be increasing for the relatives of them to go oversea for visiting and travelling.
High population density, population explosion in Fujian, brought some serious problems. Natural resources of Fujian tend to be scarce. For the relatively abundant resources, the level per capita declines and for limited natural resource, the problem becomes more serious. Extended population put the large pressure on the limited resources.
III. Family Planning
As a brief review, the family planning performances in Fujian have undertaken as following four phrases:
1. Initiation in ideology (1949~1971)
Fujian tried to start family planning in median 1950s. In 1955, “A Notice on the Contraception and Birth Control in Fujian” was issued, which stated that, contraceptive wasn’t restricted any more, but induced abortion and sterilization still needed to be examined and approved. In this phrase, contraception knowledge was offered in urban areas. In 1963, Fujian Province Family Planning Leadership Group and Office was established. In the Provincial Family Planning Conference of 1965, Fujian Commission of Chinese Communist Party stated the principle of family planning as ‘ To Base on People’s Voluntaries, to Advocate Positively, to Safeguard the Quality, to Proceed in Stable Pace’. Young people in urban areas were encouraged to get married at the age of 25, people in rural at the age of 24. One child is enough, two children are fine and three children are too much. In 1963, the advanced birth control technology was popularized. After three years effort, the situation that the crude birth rate in urban higher than that of rural was altered, and the birth control had made great achievements. Since 1966 the ‘Culture Revolution’ started, the family planning program almost was crashed down.
2. Start to Action (1972~1978)
In 1971, Fujian Commission of Chinese Communist Party requested to establish the Family Planning Leadership Group. In 1973, population growth began to be incorporated into national planning. In ‘the Summary of Provincial Family Planning Program Conference’ of 1974, it was claimed that secretaries of Party in every level should take the responsibilities of family planning, and chief directors should run the affairs. The Family Planning Leadership Group was established again in 1972. The scientific research office was built in 1978. Young couples were encouraged to marry late, give birth late and have fewer children according to ‘The Temporary Regulation on Family Planning Program’. It was advocated that one couple had two children unless they had any special characteristics. The birth interval should be three to five years. In urban area, it was recommended that men get married at the age of 28 and women at the age of 25. In December 1978, it was put forwarded that one couple had better give birth to one child, at most two children, and the birth spacing should be over four years. At that period, family planning was popularized in newspaper, radio, and TV.
3. Progress Properly (1979~1989)
In 1981, Fujian Family Planning Leadership Group issued ‘Some Ideas on Family Planning Policies’, which stated the family planning policy as ‘few and healthy birth’ and ‘encourage to give birth to one child, control the birth of the second child and prevent the birth of the third child’. In 1988, ‘Fujian Family Planning Regulations’ was approved, which shown the family planning management would be implemented under the law enforcement. In1983, Fujian Family Planning Commission was established. Similar organization had been established at prefecture, and county levels. Based on the previous experience of family planning program, many efforts were made to control the population growth. Since 1980s, family planning IEC had been popularized and deepened. A series of IEC programs were offered. Face to face IEC were stressed. Since the Provincial Family Planning Conference in 1981, much importance was attached to IEC. ‘Three Emphases’ was been adopted gradually, which became the guideline of Fujian family planning.
4. Progress Stable (1990~now)
In this period, facing the opening and reforms and the socialism market economy, Fujian explored actively the new approaches to improve family planning work, to implement the program ‘Three Emphases’ and ‘Three Integrations’, to adopt the family planning objective management approach, to improve IEC. Fujian has accomplished the task of population control for seven years. In 1994, Fujian Province Family Planning Commission promulgated ‘the Law on Management of Birth Certification’, to standardize the procedure of apply, examination, management and supervision of birth certification. In1996, ‘Regulation of Family Planning on Fujian Floating Population’ and ‘Regulation on Forbidding to Identify Fetus Sex not for Medical Reason’ was issued, and were taken to action in July 1st that year. Fujian is the first province to promulgate local law on that concern in China.
In recent forty years, Fujian family planning program has made great achievements.
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