ABSTRACT
The Ninth Five Year Plan began in 1996. When drafting began in 1994-1995, regional disparity and income disparity were the subjects of loud and active debate. This chapter present changes in per capita income of farm residents and city residents for the period 1985-1996 in China. It presents the Lorenze curve using per capita income for city residents in 1985 and 1995. The Lorenze curve is a graphic depiction of equality of income distribution. The Gini coefficient is a measure of the correlation between Lorenze curve and diagonal line. The chapter then presents the variance coefficient of per capita gross income in order to illustrate the changes in per capita income disparity for farm residents. It also details the province-level ranking of gross per capita income for farm and city residents. The chapter provides data on China's "well-off standard" as of the end of 1995 and details the number and regional distribution of persons in poverty in the countryside.
