Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a reasonably accurate and comprehensive record of China's industrial development during the pre-Communist period. Such a long-term record of rates and levels of industrial output not only may enable to learn and study the lessons of the past, but also may serve as a useful historical base against which to appraise economic achievements of the Communist regime. The book presents general surveys of the Chinese economy and quantitative assessments of Communist China's national income and industrial production. "Industrial production" includes output categories: metallurgy, fuel, and power. The book contains a series of qualifying remarks applicable to statistical and interpretative analyses. It discusses some observations and interpretative analyses of China's industrialization primarily on the basis of 1933 net value-added index. The book describes the contemporary economic development of Communist China and the historical development of Chinese economy in the twentieth century.