China Living Standard

☆Dressing
Tendency: Middle and Top Grade Clothing and More Diversification
● Nation Building Period – Foreign Cotton and Linen Cloth
At the beginning of the establishment of New China, the rural Chinese men usually wear the duijin cutty sark (a kind of Chinese-style jacket with buttons down the front) and long trousers while women wear short gown with the opening on the left and long trousers, and some even wear a skirt.
At that time, most of the material for making clothes is “foreign fabric”, hopsacking, and linen fabrics.

● Before the Reform and Opening -- Simplicity and Monotone
In the early 60s, it is most difficult period of China in the history. At that time, In order to save as much as possible, people need to use the clothes votes when they want to buy the clothes, cotton fabrics and household textiles. The standard for buying clothing is resistant to wear and not showing soil; and gray, black, blue are the main and popular color on the street; all the clothing is in the same key without distinguishing of the seasons, and the style of clothing that do not distinguish men or women is becoming more and more popular. During that period, you can see that everyone is blue. During the period of the Great Cultural Revolution, owning a uniform is the ideal thinking for countless young people in that period. Hardworking and plain-living are the fashion at that time and you can see patch clothes everywhere. There is a saying at that time: “New for three years, old for three years, and sewing for another th
ree years ... ...”

● After the Reform and Opening – Rich and Colorful, Fashion and personality
Since the reform and opening, the color and the style of the clothing had became more diverse, and the fabric and texture had also changed a lot. In the 90s, people's lives started to transit to fairly well-off and their ideas and expression were more open. People’s clothing was changing rapidly, and they pay attention to the individuality and varied, and it is difficult to use one style or color to sum up fashion, and emphasizing individuality but not going after pop itself has become a trend.
From the changes in clothing, we see the progress of the times and the changes in the concept of people's hearts. Costume changes are based on the economic development, and it also reflects people's ideas change with the changes of the times: from the old “conformity" to "the pursuit of individuality." In addition, the clothing change is the expression of the improving of the quality of people's lives.

☆ Food
Tendency: From "Fill His Belly" to “Pay Attention to Nutrition”
There is a saying that “People regard food as their prime want." It can be said that people put the food as the minimum standard of living, and meanwhile, they consider food as the highest pursuit and enjoyment of life. From the change of food, you can see the rich and poor, the ups and downs of the society, and also you can appreciate the historical development of the rural town in the history. 

● Nation Building Period
The living of the people is in poverty, with insufficient food at meals, or just a simple diet.

● Before the Reform and Opening
The living has improved lot but the food is shortage and monotonic, the votes were prevalent, and some rural areas even do not solve the basic food and clothing. For the shortages of the goods and materials, people can buy little cakes candy or dried fruit by using the votes just on holidays. During the period of three years of natural disasters, grain and vegetables were scarce, and people often fill their stomachs with sweet potatoes. Due to the lack of basic nutrition, rural people have some swelling.

● After the Reform and Opening
Since the reform and opening of New China, people can not only eat his fill, but can also eat better, with nutritionally balanced. Since the 90s of 20th century, the food consumption of rural residents would transfer from pursuing the quantity to pursuing the quality. People began to pay much attention to the science, fine good, seeking nutrition, and high-quality. There are a lot of meat, eggs, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruit for every season, and the residents can buy what the family wanted to eat. Meanwhile, methane, coal gas, liquefied gas and other fuel had become the major fuel instead of the firewood, and less and less people in the rural area used the original stove.

☆ Housing
Tendency: Live and Work in Peace and Contentment
● Nation Building Period
The house in that time is very poor. Most of the houses in the rural areas were thatched adobe houses, and the houses were old without any repair and dangerous for living. In addition, sometimes, humans and animals lived together in the same house with worst hygienic conditions.

● Before the Reform and Opening
The living conditions were improved gradually, but still poor. The tile-roofed houses had replaced the thatched adobe houses gradually, and the wall was stepped with lime, and it looked flat and tidy. But there was less decoration in the house, only the beds, tables, chairs and other basic furniture. 

● After the Reform and Opening
The acreage for living had expanded, and the living conditions had been improved significantly.
The thatched adobe houses no longer exist, and they were replaced by the bungalow, tile-roofed houses. Since the 90's, the buildings of two or more floors were built one by one, some were built at the rode side of the village, and some were at edge of fields, and they formed the beautiful landscape in rural areas. 

☆ Transportation

Tendency: From the Dirt Ways to the Asphalt Roads in Every Village
● Nation Building Period
The transportation at that time was inconvenient. The major means of transport were carriage, cart, wheelbarrow, unwheeling, and walking is the most common way for going out. The dirt ways would became the muddy road in a rainy day and it was not easy for out, so people needed to wear the rubber overshoes, and so on.

● Before the Reform and Opening
The transportation at that time had been improved, and based on the using of the bike. During the 60s and 70s, the bikes became a major means of transport, but the road construction was very backward, and that has brought a lot of inconvenience into people's daily lives.

● After the Reform and Opening
Since the reform and opening of New China, the traffic conditions had been significant improved, the highways became more and more, and at last it had realize that there were highways in every village.
Asphalt roads were finished firstly in the town. And the mud-covered paths in the rural area had been replaced by the cement roads, and later they filled every village. Bicycle has changed from heavy and simple to light and fashion, more and more villagers purchased the motorcycle, electric cars, and also cars began to enter into the village country.