40 years ago, in December 1978, the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the reform and opening-up policy. Since then, China has witnessed drastic changes and made remarkable achievements in diverse range of spheres during this process.

Despite ups and downs, the pace of reform and opening-up has never slowed. China has had an impressive period of growth at a high and sustained pace thanks to the policy, shifting from an agricultural society to an emerging, dynamic, and industrialized nation.

People's livelihood, as a crucial part of the social construction in contemporary China, has also undergone profound changes in the past 40 years, during which the living standard of Chinese people has risen continuously spreading in every village and every city across the country.

Ration coupons, "three rounds and one sound", a second child and targeted poverty alleviation are some typical expressions that have come to define particular eras. The following four phrases can offer a glimpse into the significant changes concerning people's well-being transpiring in China over the last four decades.

Ration Coupons

A higher level of well-being can be achieved only after the basic needs are met, thus having sufficient food and clothing is always the first step in improving the livelihood of the people.

Ration coupons, as a staple of China's ration system introduced in the 1950s, were issued to residents for the purchase of certain foodstuffs including grain, flour, rice, oil and meat, as well as some daily necessities and household items like cloth, television and bicycle due to the scarce food and material supplies.

The coupons were phased out in the early 1990s thanks to the reform and opening-up, which has seen the country's planned economy gradually replaced by a market-driven one and has largely boosted the industrial and agricultural production so that the food and commodity supplies soon met and even surpassed public demands. 

Three Rounds and One Sound

"San Zhuan Yi Xiang", which means three rounds and one sound, refers to the four essential household items that almost every Chinese household aspired to possess in the 1980s: A wristwatch, bicycle, sewing machine and radio .

The quartet are four cultural icons that accompanied 40 years of change in China.

From the 1970s onward, bicycles have offered mobility and comfort in China, making the country internationally known as the “Kingdom of Bicycles”. However, since motorcycles and private cars sprung up due to the country's modernization and motorization, they are no longer the first choice for transportation in China.

40 years on, these gadgets are no longer the symbols of a wealthy family, but rather cultural icons reflecting the tectonic transformation that Chinese society has gone through. 

A Second Child

Since January 1, 2016, all married Chinese couples have been officially allowed to have a second child under a nationwide policy to help counterbalance an aging population, putting an end to the country's decades-long family planning policy introduced in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population by restricting most urban couples to one child.

The decision was announced at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in October 2015, following a relaxation of the country's long-standing birth control in November 2013 which allowed couples to have a second child if either of them is an only child.

According to statistics from the Family Planning Association (FPA), the number of babies born in the first half of 2016 increased by 6.9 percent from the previous year to 8.31 million, and out of those babies, 44.6 percent were a second child, a growth of 6.7 percent year-on-year.

However, many one-child families in China are still struggling to have another “new bundle of joy” due to concerns over the childrearing expenses, as well as looming career pressure. According to a survey conducted by the All-China Women's Federation in 2016, over half of Chinese families already with a child don't want a second one.

Targeted Poverty Alleviation

Targeted poverty alleviation, first proposed in 2013, aims to utilize targeted measures to eradicate extreme poverty and build a moderately prosperous society in all respects in China.

It includes setting clear poverty reduction goals, registration of the poverty-stricken population, implementation of the targeted poverty alleviation strategy, and establishment of seven institutional systems in terms of accountability, policy, investment, assistance, mobilization, supervision, and assessment.

This complete set of system designs helps keep track of every household and individual in extreme poverty to verify that no one is left behind.

Since the implementation of China's reform and opening-up policy, the country has made remarkable efforts in battling poverty both domestically and internationally. It has gone from one of the poorest countries in the world to the largest contributor to world poverty elimination, lifting over 800 million people out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global poverty reduction rate.

Looking back at the past 40 years, the changes in people's livelihoods have been huge, and these represent the success of China's reform and opening-up. Each change created numerous “Chinese miracles” that have helped the country build and progress along the path of national rejuvenation. 

As China celebrates the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, it's significant for the country to build on past achievements and forge ahead towards ever greater goals in the new era.

This is part of the special “40 Years in Words” series that examines the key words behind some of China's policy milestones, changes in people's livelihoods and cultural staples from the country's reform and opening up to commemorate 40 years of the historic drive.