Poverty and Development: A Study of China's Poor Areas (review)

Reviews 589© 1995 by University ofHawai'i Press a question ofhow these issues are organized. Chapters are put together in a rather cumbersome way: most are topical, some are chronological, and the topical ones use chronological data (only up to 1991) to describe changes that have taken place, while toward the end some chapters (18-22) onlydeal with post-1992 developments. There are also some technical errors. One main shortcoming is the inconvenient method ofcitation that is not consistent with the bibliography, which is arranged alphabetically by author: in the text itself, only the title of the book is cited. Moreover, in some places, the book cited is not listed in the bibliography and no further detailed information is given (e.g., table 7.10 on p. 72). One wonders why some books are listed in the bibliography while others are not. In other instances, only primary sources are given without indicating secondary sources. For example, in table 5.1 (p. 42) the author presents a diagram of the evolution of China's economy and indicates the sources ofinformation as two reports by Jiang Zemin in 1992 and 1993—without information as to where they were published. On balance, this is a useful volume for those who need quick reference to some vital statistics about the Chinese economy but who have limited reading ability in Chinese. It provides a good secondary source as well for college students who have a limited knowledge ofChina and Chinese language. However, it cannot serve the purposes of in-depth research. Those who desire to conduct original and thorough studies ofChina's political economy must still immerse themselves more fully in statistical yearbooks and other sources ofdata in Chinese. Xiaobo Lu Barnard College mm Yan Ruizhen and Wang Yuan. Poverty and Development: A Study of China's PoorAreas. Beijing: NewWorld Press, 1992. 336 pp. Paperback. This book is the result of the International Food System research project, which was presided over by the Michigan State University and financed by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in 1987. The study examines China's food problem and the diffusion oftechnology in China's least-developed areas. The authors conclude that China's food problem cannot be addressed without simultaneous economic development, specifically in the poverty-stricken areas. They suggest that poverty should be approached in the context of economic growth, and this is the focus of their book. 590 China Review International: Vol. 2, No. 2, Fall 1995 According to Yan and Wang, China's uneven regional development is the result ofdifferences in social and economic progress, history, geography, and natural conditions. Chapter 2 outlines the need for economic development and the strategy necessary for reducing, and eventually eliminating, poverty. According to the authors, the establishment of a socialist market economy is essential for "effectively tapping the economic potentials and bringing about an all-round economic development ofthe mountainous areas" (p. 61). The authors also point out that those people experiencing the worst conditions ofpoverty tend to reside in the western interior, particularly the mountainous areas. To alleviate this poverty , Yan and Wang see the principle goal as being to activate "the internal economic vitality of the poor areas, give full scope to their strengths and overcome their weaknesses and rely on the hard work ofthe local people to build up a beautiful future" (pp. 60-61). Considering that these regions are highly reliant upon state subsidies, the entire country's level ofdevelopment is affected. Yan and Wang recognize this, stating that "The overwhelming majority of the poor counties are dependent on state subsidy, and the resultant huge drain from the state coffer has gravely impeded the economic growth ofthe nation as a whole" (p. 32). The extent ofthis dependence and its implications is further illustrated in Dru Gladney's Muslim Chinese: Ethnic Nationalism in the People's Republic (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991); one Tongxin resident estimates that over 90 percent of Tongxin's residents are dependent on government subsidies for a living (p. 153). The government now appears to be interested in recovering some ofits losses by exploiting the western interior's rich endowment ofnatural and nonagricultural resources. These issues are addressed throughout the following three...