On February 28, the “Think Tank Lecture” series activities, jointly sponsored by Shanghai Academy, the School of Sociology and Political Science of Shanghai University, and the Shanghai Correspondent Station of Chinese Social Sciences Today, was held at Lehu Building, Shanghai University. Li Peilin, Vice-chairman of the Social Construction Committee of the National People’s Congress, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and President of Shanghai Academy, was invited to give a lecture titled “Accomplishments, Experience and Trend in Social Development after 40 Years of Reform and Opening up”.
After 40 years of reform and opening up, we have made major achievements in economic and social development, as well as in comprehensive national strength. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, resident income has been growing continuously and rapidly and people’s life quality has improved considerably. In his lecture, Li elaborated on five accomplishments in 40 years of reform and opening, four points of fundamental experience, and five future development trends.
5 accomplishments
In Li’s view, China has made five major achievements in economic and social development.
First, people’s living standard has been improving continuously and middle-income groups have been expanding. In the past 40 years, it took Chinese people 31 years to raise per capita income to RMB10,000 and the number is now approaching RMB30,000. Middle-income groups are expanding continuously, with the income gap reaching the peak of the inverted Kuznets U-curve. Second, people live and work in peace and contentment; the employment situation is stable in spite of a slowdown in economic growth. Between 2013 and 2017, more than 13 million new jobs were created in cities and towns annually; the unemployment rate was only around 5%; the number of migrant workers reached 286 million. Third, we have made great achievements in poverty reduction. All those who are defined by the current standard as poverty stricken will soon be lifted out of poverty. Over the past 40 years, the cumulative poverty reduction population dropped by 740 million and the existing extreme poverty standard is above the international standard. Fourth, we have achieved rapid development in education, and labor quality has been enhanced markedly. Between 1978 and 2017, the number of regular institutions of higher learning rose from 598 to 2,914, with undergraduate admissions increasing from 401,000 students up to 7.6149 million; the number of students at schools of higher education reached 37.79 million, up from 867,000; the gross enrolment rate of higher education went up from 1.55% to 45.7%. Fifth, China has built a massive social security system, with health level improving widely. Average life span in China rose from 67.9 in 1981 to 76.4 in 2017, up by nearly 10 years. Meanwhile, we have established a social security system covering all Chinese people.
Li Peilin
4 points of basic experience
Li pointed out in his lecture that we gained valuable experience from 40 years of reform and opening up. First, people’s livelihood construction is of supreme political importance; second, economy is the basis and top priority of livelihood improvement; third, the concept of development must advance with the times; fourth, social development and the improvement of people’s livelihood is a long, arduous, and worthy task.
5 future development trends
Summarizing past experience and looking to the future, Li believes there will be five future development trends in China. First, social transition will bring about enormous potential and room for social development; second, labor quality will become the second demographic dividend; third, the ageing population is both a challenge and an opportunity; fourth, the building of an oval-shaped social structure and promotion of mass consumption still have a long way to go.
Zhang Wenhong, Dean of the School of Sociology and Political Science of Shanghai University and doctoral supervisor, chaired the event. Shanghai Academy First Vice President Li Youmei, Executive Vice President Zhao Kebin, and Director of the Secretariat Yang Huijun were present at the event.
