Who is the Modern Middle Class in China?

Abstract

AbstractIn reviewing the history of China since it embarked on the path of reform and opening up, this chapter intends to prove that the emergence and growth of the middle class in contemporary China are closely related to the economic and social development, as well as a matter of course of historical progress. By drawing on the significant studies conducted at both home and abroad, the contemporary middle class is defined from seven dimensions that are consistent with the national conditions; namely, income, property, living standards, occupation, education, moral imperative and social norms; On this basis, according to the latest statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, the definition and features of the contemporary middle class are further clarified. In line with the author’s calculations, there are roughly 200 to 250 million people in China who qualify as middle class as defined in this book, accounting for 14.7 to 18.4% of the national population of 1.36 billion pin 2013. Among them, the urban middle class makes up about 200 to 220 million and the rural middle class about 20 to 30 million, which is close to the results of studies in China.