Recent Changes in China (4)

by Tzy C. Peng 

Living Conditions  

I have many relatives, all ordinary people, in China, including my four
aging sisters (75-89 years old). Sadly, my 89-years old sister passed
away on February 13, 2001 before my arrival in  Shanghai on March 23,
2001.  I have ten nephews and nieces in their 30s to 50s.  Their children
are  attending schools from elementary to college.  I have had the
opportunity to stay in their houses on all trips except the 1996
tour-group, and have been able to observe their living conditions at first
hand. All my sisters had suffered greatly during the Great Cultural
Revolution (1966-76) in China. In my first trip to China in 1979, I
remember well about living conditions of my sisters and their family: one
small room, no private telephone, no in-door water supply, no indoor
cooking facilities, no indoor toilets (not even primitive ones), and of
course, no home entertainment of any kind. The only thing they had was an
old radio, a watch or clock, bicycles and some books. My nephews and
nieces suffered along with their parents while they were young. 

In my 1986 
and 1991 trips to China, I saw major changes in living conditions of my
relatives. They had two or three small rooms, indoor water supplies,
regular size black/white televisions, indoor gas stoves for cooking, and
most of all, indoor toilet facilities.  In 1991, they also had wash
machines for clothing. small refrigerators and high fidelity sound systems
for playing recordings of all kinds. In my last trip in March-May 2001, my
nephews and nieces are now heads of household, and they have 3-6 medium
size rooms in a modern high-rise apartments (mostly 6 or 7 stories in
suburbs, modern gas ranges, wash machines, large refrigerators, several
color televisions (some of them have 29 in. viewing screens), full bath
rooms with flushing toilets, stereo musical systems, regular telephone
plus more than one mobile phones  per family (mostly made by Motorola),
personal computers sometimes with email and website services and few of
them even have their own private cars. Oh yes, playing stock market is
very much part of their lives.  

A Personal Observation 

Many of my nephews and nieces are now part of the middle-class in China. A
class in no small measure is created by the economic reform policy of the
late Chinese President, Mr. Deng Xiaoping, beginning in the late 1970s.
This middle class is now the future of China. Their feelings nationally
and inter-nationally will have a lot to do with the coming world events in
the 21st century. 

(part 4 of 4, completed)

Dr. Tzy C. Peng is a retired aerospace scientist since 1992.  He has been contributing articles to Chinese American Forum (CAF) since 1985. He has been a voluntary CAF officers and primary donor since 1992.  He is the current Chairman of the CAF Board and the managing editor since the CAF publishing operation has been relocated from Washington, D.C. to St. Louis, and later St. Charles County, MO since 1997.