ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the shifts in population composition, the pattern of population redistribution, and the impact changes have wrought on government policy. It compares the several censuses to illustrate Chinese demographic changes. The chapter explores the patterns of population redistribution and analyzes the population density revealed in the 1990 census. It reviews China's population policies, which wavered between encouraging a large population and advocating family planning until enforcement of the one-child family was implemented following the 1982 census. A distinctive feature of the Chinese population is its uneven distribution. The vertical distribution of Chinas population shows that the Chinese prefer to live on flat land. The change in population density between the coastal and interior regions can be explained as follows: first, it is government policy to develop the economy of the interior part of the country, and second, the natural increase rate of the coastal population is lower than the natural increase rate of the interior population.
