ABSTRACT
In contrast to the situation in many other developing countries, urbanization in China has proceeded slowly, and the level of urbanization there remains low. China's urban population, then, is highly concentrated in large cities, 61 percent of it in cities with populations of over half a million and 41 percent in metropolises. The Chinese people have changed their attitude toward the tertiary sector and, recognizing it as an important part of the national economy, are striving to develop commerce, entertainment, and other service trades in rural and urban areas. Rural-urban economic reform policies, introduced by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in December 1978, have reduced the distinction between town and country on the basis of their common development. The urban population includes long-term "temporary" residents of a city, persons who live in urban areas but are legally registered, and persons classified as "agricultural" for purposes of grain distribution, but who are located within the urban boundaries.
