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How Globalization Changes Life in China: Middle Class and Farming

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Aleksandra Golowska

15/01/2023

Geography

impacts of globalisation

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How Globalization Changes Life in China: Middle Class and Farming

China's rapid economic growth and globalization have brought significant changes, both positive and negative, to its urban middle class and overall society. This summary explores the impacts of these changes, including infrastructure development, poverty reduction, income increases, educational improvements, and environmental challenges.

  • Positive impacts of globalisation on China's urban middle class include improved infrastructure, poverty reduction, and increased urban incomes
  • Challenges of industrialisation and farmland loss in China have led to environmental degradation and resource pressures
  • Economic growth has driven improvements in education and training, but rural-urban disparities persist
  • Rapid urbanization has resulted in unplanned settlements and pollution-related health issues
...

15/01/2023

458

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

View

Urban Incomes and Education

The impacts of globalisation on China's urban middle class are evident in the sharp increase in urban incomes and improvements in education and training.

Urban income growth:

  • Urban incomes have risen significantly since 2000, driven by economic growth and slower population growth
  • Improved working conditions include a 40-hour work week, higher overtime rates, and paid holidays

Highlight: The growth in urban incomes has been a key factor in the expansion of China's middle class.

Education and training advancements:

  • Education is free and compulsory for children aged 6-15
  • Literacy rates have soared from 20% in 1950 to 94% for Chinese over 15 years old
  • University graduates increased from 480,000 in 2000 to 7.2 million in 2014

Example: The fifteen-fold increase in university graduates between 2000 and 2014 demonstrates the rapid expansion of higher education in China.

These educational improvements have created a skilled workforce for China's expanding knowledge and service sectors, contributing to the China middle class growth statistics.

However, there are still significant disparities between rural and urban areas:

Highlight: Per capita spending on secondary education varies widely, from £2,200 in Beijing to just £300 in Guizhou.

This rural-urban divide in education spending illustrates the ongoing challenges in ensuring equitable development across China.

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

View

Environmental Challenges and Urbanization

The rapid industrialization and urbanization in China have led to significant environmental challenges and changes in land use.

Loss of productive farmland:

  • Over 3 million hectares of arable land were polluted in 2014
  • Increased use of fertilizers and pesticides has contaminated farmland near rivers used for drinking water

Vocabulary: Arable land refers to land capable of being plowed and used to grow crops.

These issues highlight the challenges of industrialisation and farmland loss in China, affecting the country's agricultural productivity and food security.

Unplanned settlements:

  • Rapid industrialization has created an urgent need for more urban housing
  • Land prices have skyrocketed, making decent housing unaffordable, especially near city centers
  • Two types of illegal housing have emerged:
    1. Expanded housing in villages on city edges, where villagers add extra stories to rent to migrant workers
    2. Unauthorized development of collectively owned farmland for private housing

Definition: Informal homes or unplanned settlements are residential areas that have developed without proper planning or legal recognition.

Environmental and health issues:

  • Air pollution, primarily from coal-fired power stations, causes frequent pollution alerts in cities like Beijing
  • 70% of China's rivers and lakes are polluted, affecting irrigation and drinking water
  • 100 cities suffer from extreme water shortages, and 360 million Chinese lack access to safe drinking water
  • Air pollution causes an average of 4,400 deaths daily in China, leading to asthma, lung cancer, and heart problems

Quote: "Chinese air pollution kills an average of 4400 people every day."

Land degradation:

  • Despite having 22% of the world's population, China only has 6.4% of its land and 7.2% of its farmland
  • Over 40% of China's farmland is suffering from degradation due to rapid urbanization and industrialization

These environmental challenges demonstrate the negative externalities of China's rapid economic growth and highlight the need for sustainable development practices.

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

View

Resource Pressures and Biodiversity Loss

China's economic growth has led to increased resource exploitation and significant impacts on biodiversity.

Resource pressures:

  • Despite abundant oil, coal, and key metals like iron ore, China's domestic resources cannot meet its growing demand
  • The Chinese government has sought additional resources in Africa and Latin America
  • Amazonian rainforest has been cleared to meet China's consumption needs

Example: China's resource demands have led to deforestation in the Amazon, illustrating the global impact of its economic growth.

This situation highlights the global nature of China's resource consumption and its environmental impacts beyond its borders.

Biodiversity loss:

  • China's terrestrial vertebrate population has declined by 50% since 1970
  • The main cause is habitat loss and degradation of natural environments due to economic development

Highlight: The 50% decline in terrestrial vertebrate populations since 1970 underscores the severe impact of China's economic development on biodiversity.

These environmental challenges demonstrate the complex relationship between economic growth and ecological sustainability. As China continues to develop, addressing these issues will be crucial for ensuring long-term environmental and economic stability.

The effects of globalization in China have been far-reaching, transforming the country's economy, society, and environment. While bringing significant benefits in terms of poverty reduction and improved living standards for many, it has also created new challenges that will require innovative solutions and sustainable practices to address.

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Subjects

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Geography

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Human geography

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Population and the environment

How Globalization Changes Life in China: Middle Class and Farming

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Aleksandra Golowska

@hola_soy_ola

·

179 Followers

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China's rapid economic growth and globalization have brought significant changes, both positive and negative, to its urban middle class and overall society. This summary explores the impacts of these changes, including infrastructure development, poverty reduction, income increases, educational improvements, and environmental challenges.

  • Positive impacts of globalisation on China's urban middle class include improved infrastructure, poverty reduction, and increased urban incomes
  • Challenges of industrialisation and farmland loss in China have led to environmental degradation and resource pressures
  • Economic growth has driven improvements in education and training, but rural-urban disparities persist
  • Rapid urbanization has resulted in unplanned settlements and pollution-related health issues
...

15/01/2023

458

 

12/13

 

Geography

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IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

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Urban Incomes and Education

The impacts of globalisation on China's urban middle class are evident in the sharp increase in urban incomes and improvements in education and training.

Urban income growth:

  • Urban incomes have risen significantly since 2000, driven by economic growth and slower population growth
  • Improved working conditions include a 40-hour work week, higher overtime rates, and paid holidays

Highlight: The growth in urban incomes has been a key factor in the expansion of China's middle class.

Education and training advancements:

  • Education is free and compulsory for children aged 6-15
  • Literacy rates have soared from 20% in 1950 to 94% for Chinese over 15 years old
  • University graduates increased from 480,000 in 2000 to 7.2 million in 2014

Example: The fifteen-fold increase in university graduates between 2000 and 2014 demonstrates the rapid expansion of higher education in China.

These educational improvements have created a skilled workforce for China's expanding knowledge and service sectors, contributing to the China middle class growth statistics.

However, there are still significant disparities between rural and urban areas:

Highlight: Per capita spending on secondary education varies widely, from £2,200 in Beijing to just £300 in Guizhou.

This rural-urban divide in education spending illustrates the ongoing challenges in ensuring equitable development across China.

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Environmental Challenges and Urbanization

The rapid industrialization and urbanization in China have led to significant environmental challenges and changes in land use.

Loss of productive farmland:

  • Over 3 million hectares of arable land were polluted in 2014
  • Increased use of fertilizers and pesticides has contaminated farmland near rivers used for drinking water

Vocabulary: Arable land refers to land capable of being plowed and used to grow crops.

These issues highlight the challenges of industrialisation and farmland loss in China, affecting the country's agricultural productivity and food security.

Unplanned settlements:

  • Rapid industrialization has created an urgent need for more urban housing
  • Land prices have skyrocketed, making decent housing unaffordable, especially near city centers
  • Two types of illegal housing have emerged:
    1. Expanded housing in villages on city edges, where villagers add extra stories to rent to migrant workers
    2. Unauthorized development of collectively owned farmland for private housing

Definition: Informal homes or unplanned settlements are residential areas that have developed without proper planning or legal recognition.

Environmental and health issues:

  • Air pollution, primarily from coal-fired power stations, causes frequent pollution alerts in cities like Beijing
  • 70% of China's rivers and lakes are polluted, affecting irrigation and drinking water
  • 100 cities suffer from extreme water shortages, and 360 million Chinese lack access to safe drinking water
  • Air pollution causes an average of 4,400 deaths daily in China, leading to asthma, lung cancer, and heart problems

Quote: "Chinese air pollution kills an average of 4400 people every day."

Land degradation:

  • Despite having 22% of the world's population, China only has 6.4% of its land and 7.2% of its farmland
  • Over 40% of China's farmland is suffering from degradation due to rapid urbanization and industrialization

These environmental challenges demonstrate the negative externalities of China's rapid economic growth and highlight the need for sustainable development practices.

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Resource Pressures and Biodiversity Loss

China's economic growth has led to increased resource exploitation and significant impacts on biodiversity.

Resource pressures:

  • Despite abundant oil, coal, and key metals like iron ore, China's domestic resources cannot meet its growing demand
  • The Chinese government has sought additional resources in Africa and Latin America
  • Amazonian rainforest has been cleared to meet China's consumption needs

Example: China's resource demands have led to deforestation in the Amazon, illustrating the global impact of its economic growth.

This situation highlights the global nature of China's resource consumption and its environmental impacts beyond its borders.

Biodiversity loss:

  • China's terrestrial vertebrate population has declined by 50% since 1970
  • The main cause is habitat loss and degradation of natural environments due to economic development

Highlight: The 50% decline in terrestrial vertebrate populations since 1970 underscores the severe impact of China's economic development on biodiversity.

These environmental challenges demonstrate the complex relationship between economic growth and ecological sustainability. As China continues to develop, addressing these issues will be crucial for ensuring long-term environmental and economic stability.

The effects of globalization in China have been far-reaching, transforming the country's economy, society, and environment. While bringing significant benefits in terms of poverty reduction and improved living standards for many, it has also created new challenges that will require innovative solutions and sustainable practices to address.

IMPACTS OF GLOBALISATION Globalisation is mainly an economic process. Social and environmental effects follow on from economic changes. Thes

Sign up to see the content. It's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Infrastructure and Economic Growth

China's globalization and economic growth have led to significant infrastructure developments and poverty reduction.

Highlight: By 2016, China had developed the world's longest highway network and high-speed rail system.

The country's rapid development is evident in its transportation infrastructure:

  • The rail system reached 100,000 km in length
  • The high-speed rail network doubled in size over a decade
  • 82 new airports were built since 2000, with 8 of the world's top 12 airports located in China

Example: China's infrastructure growth is exemplified by its high-speed rail system, which became the world's longest in just ten years.

The economic growth has had a profound impact on poverty reduction:

  • Over 300 million Chinese people are now considered middle class
  • By 2022, an estimated 45% of the Chinese population will be classified as urban middle class
  • Between 1981 and 2010, China reduced the number of people living in poverty by 680 million
  • The extreme poverty rate decreased from 84% in 1980 to just 10% in 2016

Definition: Urban middle class refers to the segment of the population living in cities with increased purchasing power and improved living standards.

These statistics highlight the positive effects of globalization in China, particularly in terms of infrastructure development and poverty alleviation.

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Knowunity is the #1 education app in five European countries

Knowunity has been named a featured story on Apple and has regularly topped the app store charts in the education category in Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Join Knowunity today and help millions of students around the world.

Ranked #1 Education App

Download in

Google Play

Download in

App Store

Knowunity is the #1 education app in five European countries

4.9+

Average app rating

20 M

Pupils love Knowunity

#1

In education app charts in 17 countries

950 K+

Students have uploaded notes

Still not convinced? See what other students are saying...

iOS User

I love this app so much, I also use it daily. I recommend Knowunity to everyone!!! I went from a D to an A with it :D

Philip, iOS User

The app is very simple and well designed. So far I have always found everything I was looking for :D

Lena, iOS user

I love this app ❤️ I actually use it every time I study.