Country Driving: A Journey Through China From Farm to Factory (59 page)

Part II

average net income for rural people increased by 11 percent
: This and the other figures in this section come from “The Rural Land Question in China,” an excellent introduction to rural issues. This paper also gives a concise history of rural land policies since the Revolution. It was prepared by a number of Chinese
and American academics who worked in conjunction with the Rural Development Institute. For background, I also spoke with two of the authors of this report, Zhu Keliang and Ye Jianping.

sixty-six million farmers lost their land
: This figure is from a recent summary of China’s rural issues, which also includes an analysis of proposed policy changes:

average rural household consisted of 4.55 people
: Figures in this section are from Zhu Keliang et al.: Ibid.

paving 119,000 miles of rural roads
: These figures, and the comparison with the previous half century, were given at a government press conference I attended in Beijing: “The Highlights of National Expressway Network Plan,” presented by Zhang Chunxian, Minister of Communications, on January 13, 2005.

in 2003, nearly half a million Beijing residents acquired their driver’s licenses
: Total figure was 480,000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

looked almost exactly like the Chevy Spark
: For the controversy regarding the Chery QQ, I spoke with Chery officials and also Timothy P. Stratford, general counsel for General Motors’ China Group.

dropped by 8.8 percent
: This figure comes from the People’s Bank of China, and was reported by
The New York Times
:

leaped by 80 percent
: This figure is from an interview with Yale Zhang, director of emerging markets vehicle forecasts at CSM Asia.

fewer than one in five used a loan
: see Bradsher, Keith: Ibid.

Falun Gong
: For background on the rise of Falun Gong, and the crackdown:

hundreds of believers died in custody
: This was the figure generally reported by foreign newspapers during the period when the Wei family began to engage in business. Today, estimates are even higher; Amnesty International says that over two thousand believers have died in custody. For a more recent newspaper report:

Part III

“Build New Countryside”
: For background on this campaign, see Cheng Li: Ibid.

“Preserving the Progressiveness”
: For background on this campaign:

One volume was entitled “A Textbook for Urbanizing the Countryside”
:

cigarettes are even subsidized
: This detail and the other facts about smoking in China are from my interview with Yang Gonghuan, deputy director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trouble can start within the Party itself
: For background on village elections, and the ways in which dissent sometimes occurs, I spoke with Kevin J. O’Brien, a political scientist who specializes in China at the University of California, Berkeley. See also:

BOOK III: THE FACTORY

Part I

officials announced plans
: Details about China’s highway project, and Zhang Chunxian’s comments about Condoleezza Rice, are from the government press conference I attended on January 13, 2005 (see previous reference).

the Jinliwen Expressway
: Background on the new road came from He Jiongwei at the Lishui City Department of Communications.

the town had 380 factories
: Details about Qiaotou’s button production came from Ye Zhengxiang, chairman of the Qiaotou Button Association. The Wuyi Printing Association gave figures for Wuyi’s playing card production. Other figures came from the Wenzhou Educational Toy Association, the Wenzhou Shoe and Leather Association, the Wenzhou Smoking Paraphernalia Association, the Shengzhou Neckties Industry Association, and the Datang Textile Socks Industry Company.

nearly 80 percent of all Wenzhou entrepreneurs
: Details on the educational level of Wenzhou business people, and local economic statistics, are from:

The Jews of the East:

a survey of local male millionaires
:

Yang Xiaohong
: He was the director of Lishui’s Economy Trade Committee.

Long-term exposure to DMF causes liver damage
:

Part II

annual per capita GDP
: This figure, and the statistics about Lishui infrastructure, are from Yang Xiaohong, director of Lishui’s Economy Trade Committee.

infrastructure investment
: This figure, along with the statistic about real estate, is from the local Lishui newspaper:

Square and Round: For background on this self-help book, see:

Francis Cabot Lowell
: For background on Lowell, see the introduction to:

speeding ticket
: Background on radar tickets in Zhejiang came from interviews with local police officers.

Part III

70 percent of Lishui’s total consumption of electricity
: This figure is from director Yang Xiaohong.

number of Lishui households buying an automobile
:

87,000 “public-order disturbances”
: “China Handles 87,000 Public Order Disturbance Cases.”
People’s Daily
, January 20, 2006.

Ancient Weir Art Village
: For background on the Dagangtou artists’ commune, I referred to the local government proposal “Guyan Huaxiang Huibao Cailiao” [Report on the Ancient Weir Art Village], as well as:

Part IV

the Yintai real estate company
: For background on the Yintai case:

two-year stimulus plan
:

targeted rural regions
: For background on the role of rural consumers in the stimulus plan, as well as proposed changes to rural land-use laws, see Cheng Li, “Hu Jintao’s Land Reform” (referred to earlier).

national economy was still growing
:

Chinese consumers bought more motor vehicles
: