Spending on a better life

China's economy grew fast in the past five years and the country achieved the main goals set by its 10th Five-Year Plan ahead of schedule. What average Chinese people have benefited from that?

Burgeoning pocketbook

Last year the per capita disposable income for urbanites and per capita net income of rural residents reached 10,493 yuan and 3,255 yuan respectively, compared with 6,280 yuan and 2,253 yuan in 2000.

The China National Tourism Administration has declared that domestic tourism market is expanding. More than 90 percent of urban and rural residents traveled last year, especially in holidays.

On wheels

The domestic market was brisk last year, with retail sales amounting to 6,717.7 billion yuan, an increase of 12.9 percent over the previous year. Sales of catering grew by 17.7 percent, communication equipment by 19.9 percent, home appliance and audio-visual by 14.8 percent, and vehicles by 16.6 percent, to name just a few.

Data from nation's top statistics administration indicated significant change in the consumption structure. Spending on food, clothing and other daily necessities plunged while spending on housing, automobiles, communication, traveling and other entertainment soared.

People in many places in China are relying more on automobiles for their mobility. In 2005, the market demand for autos stood at 6.4 million units. In Beijing, some 40,000 autos were sold a month, mostly to private buyers.

The auto demand is expected to continue the fast growth and reach nearly 15 million units in 2008 which is a quarter of the current global demand for autos.

People occupy larger space. In 2005 the per capita floor space for urban residents is likely to exceed 26 square meters, 6 square meters larger than 2000.

Fancy for urban glamour

The development of the information technology has greatly changed the way people communicate. China has built the world's largest network for fixed phones and mobiles embedded which is technically advanced. By the end of 2005, there had been 746 million phone users. More than half of Internet users have access to broadband.

Electronic products, such as video cameras and digital cameras, have become part of life of average people. Color televisions and computers are increasingly common, which used to be owned by very few households.

Luxuries like jewelries are more affordable than before. According to the Platinum Guild International, the annual sales has exceeded 100 billion yuan on the China market of jewelries and jades in the last two years. That is second only to the United States.

By People's Daily Online