Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) 75 years ago, the education level of the entire society and the health-care system have significantly improved, according to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.
In the early years of the PRC, more than 80 percent of the population was illiterate.
In 2023, the gross enrollment rate of preschool education, the consolidation rate of the nine-year compulsory education, and the gross enrollment rate of senior high school arrived at 91.1 percent, 95.7 percent, and 91.8 percent, respectively. The number of students in compulsory education and senior high school was 160 million and 45.42 million, respectively, 6.4 times and 103 times those of 1949.
China's gross enrollment rate of higher education exceeded 60 percent, ranking first in the world. The average years of schooling of the working-age population increased from just over eight years in 1982 to 11.05 years. The numbers of China's human resources and scientific and technological human resources ranked first in the world.
In the last year, there were a total of 2,345 special education schools nationwide, marking an increase of 31 schools from 2022. And 1.62 billion students have received financial assistance with the amount totaling around 2.6 trillion yuan (about 365 billion U.S. dollars).
China's cultural industry has flourished. By the end of 2023, China had 3,246 public libraries and 6,833 museums, 59 times and 325 times the numbers in 1949. The total import and export volume of cultural products increased from 88.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2012 to 162.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. China's cultural soft power keep enhancing.
China's medical and health services have made continuous progress. By the end of 2023, China had 1.07 million medical and health institutions, along with 10.17 million beds and 12.49 million health workers. In 2020, the life expectancy of the population reached 77.93 years, 43 years higher than that in 1949, which is higher than the average level of middle-and high-income countries.
China's education level, healthcare system continue to improve
A festive atmosphere is building up as people across China have been making preparations to ring in the Spring Festival next week, with lights and decorations set everywhere, and with New Year goods markets all seeing booming sales.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunion.
In Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a grand lantern show is in its final stage of preparation before opening to the public ahead of the eve of the 2025 Chinese Lunar New Year. To be lit up on Wednesday, the large light sets presented at the event will draw numerous visitors, with lanterns that replicate 38 cultural relics as the highlight.
Buying New Year flowers has been a custom for Chinese people. In Yancheng City of east China's Jiangsu Province, various flowers which have auspicious meanings are already in high demand.
This year, tulips bred locally have been put on sale, and quickly become a favorable choice for many customers.
"I have never seen this kind of flower before. I think it is really bright-colored. Therefore, I decided to buy some to enhance the festive atmosphere at home," said Zhang Jinjian, a local resident.
The Anchang ancient town in Shaoxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province has a time-honored custom of making aired sausages and spiced duck.
As the Spring Festival draws near, plenty of visitors and tourists choose to purchase these local delicacies as ingredients for their Chinese New Year feast.
"The number of tourists has been increasing, so the sales of our spiced meat have been quite good. Compared with the same period of last year, our sales is expected to increase by about 50,000 yuan (about 6,835 U.S. dollars). We will earn an additional 200,000 to 300,000 yuan (27,335 to 41,000 U.S. dollars) in sales during this whole winter," said Yang Jing, owner of a local spiced meat shop.
In southwest China's Yunnan Province, the "Tiaocai dance" is a time-honored tradition of the Yi ethnic minority group. The dance is presented in the form of serving dishes while dancing to the rhythm. It usually happens on a joyous or grand occasion.
Since the most significant annual festival is around the corner, Yi people have dressed up in traditional costumes, and got ready to welcome the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year with the special dance.
People across China make preparations to welcome Spring Festival