The third plenary session of the 1lth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party，held in December 1978，turned a new leaf in the history of socia-lism in China by shifting the Party’s focus to the modernization program. The adoption of the ideological guideline：“seeking truths from facts”，helped emancipate the country’s thinking，ushered in a spring season in scientific development and brought life to the country’s population studies，which have flourished since then in an unprecedented manner. It should be admitted that such a shift in focus，and the adoption of the new guideline，were prerequisites to creating a climate propitious to the development of population studies in China.

The economic growth brought on by the shift in the Party’s focus brought many existing problems in production，consumption and employment to the surface. As people began to ponder the rapid increase in population，questions were raised concerning the population theories and policies of the three decades following the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Therefore，it is of particularly far-reacing significance for Chinese population scholars to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the third plenary session of the Party’s 1lth Central Committee.

It is well known that China’s population studies were active in the early 1950s. Unfortunately，however，this active period did not last long. The unfounded criticism of noted economist Ma Yinchu’s essay “A New Theory on Population” withered the new branch of science before it was able to develop. Population research in China did not revive until the 1970s，and particularly not until after the third plenary session of the Party’s llth Central Committee. In the past 10 years，population science has grown into an independent research area in China. This is evident from the facts that the number of population scholars has increased，specialized research institutions have been set up，dozens of articles on population have been published，some 40 magazines on the subject have been founded，a large amount of census or survey statistics and other data has been provided and tremendous progress has been made in research methodology.

The growth of China’s population studies in the past 10 years has distinct chara-cteristics. As expressed in the ancient Chinese saying；“Reviewing the past helps one to understand the present and the future”，reviewing and summarizing these characteristics will undoubtedly help promote the future development of the population research in China. The characteristics include the following：

First，Marxism had been taken as a guideline in population research. As popu-lation studies had long been a “troubled area”，many people maintained lingering fears，even in 1979，when the research began to thrive. Under the circumstances，it was natural for them to start with the study of Marxist theories on population，including those on the “two kinds of production”（material production and human reproduction），in order to find patterns of population development in a socialist society. It needs to be clarified that the adoption of Marxism as a guideline should mean the study of Marxist viewpoints and methodology in population research，rather than a contentment with quotations from Marxist predecessors. While Marx，Engels，Lenin，Stalin，Mao Zedong and other revolutionaries expounded many principles on population，they did not，nor was it possible for them to，provide ready solutions to all problems related to population，especially those in a socialist society. We must keep to historical and dialectical materialism in their fundamental stand，viewpoints and methodology.

Second，great importance has been attached to surveys. A large number of in-depth surveys including censuses，samplings and surveys on special subjects have been conducted in the past 10 years. Nationwide studies of this sort include the following：

（A）The census of 1982. This was the third census since the founding of the People’s Republic，and the largest in the world；covering more than a billion people. This survey had 19 items，many more than the previous two surveys had. 13 of these items were filled out by individuals，and the remaining 6 by households. In order to minimize the error rate，the survey was checked and appraised on each level throughout the sampling according to preset standards. For the first time，electronic computers were used to treat the statistics.

（B）The sampling survey of 0.1 per cent of the country’s population on ferti-lity，organized by the State Commission of Family Planning. A total 815 work units and 1017574 people were selected as samples，and 310485 women aged between 15 and 67 years were surveyed. The standard time for the survey was set at zero hours，July 1，1982，and the actual survey was completed between September 1 and 15 of the same year. A post-survey check showed that the error rate of the sampling survey was 1.07 per cent，which is considered to be very low.

（C）The survey on the basic conditions of Chinese children，sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund and conducted in 1983 by the Department of Society of the State Statistical Bureau. A total of 179000 children aged between 0 and 14 years were surveyed and data were obtained on the children’s education as well as their physical and mental health.

（D）The nationwide sampling survey on the handicapped，conducted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs，and the State Statistical Bureau，from April 1 to mid—May 1987 in 29 provinces，municipalities and autonomous regions. The survey covered 424 counties，369816 households and 1579314 persons；1.5 percent of the country’s total population. It was learned that there were 51.64 million handicapped persons in the country. The statistics obtained categorized those who were handicapped in hearing，speech，sight，body or mind.

（E）The sampling survey on the nation’s elderly population aged above 60 years. This project was listed in the State’s Seventh Five-Year Plan and was undertaken by the Institute of Population Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Science with the assistance of the Urban and Rural Sampling Team of the State Statistical Bureau. The survey covered 233 cities and townships，830 counties and 36.775 elderly people aged above 60 years in 28 provinces，autonomous regions and municipalities，not including Tibet and Taiwan. The standard time of the survey was set at zero hours on June 30，1987. Comprehensive and systematic data were abtained on patterns in the elderly population’s age，sex，education，marital status，fertility，families，income，employment，means of support，medical care，health，activities and family economic status.

（F）The sampling survey on China’s fertility and contraception，started on July 1，1988 by the State Commission of Family Planning. The survey has been completed and the statistics obtained are being processed and analyzed. The survey involved more than two million people in all 30 provinces，municipalities and autonomous regions. Comprehensive and systematic data will be obtained on the pregnancy，parturition，contraception，marriage，and mortality of the female population aged between 15 and 57 years.

（G）The survey on China’s ethnic minorities，which was started in 1984 by China Population Information Center，and is not yet complete. Data have been collected on 10 ethnic minorities，including the Uygurs.

Other large-scale population surveys on provincial，municipal and regional levels include：a）the survey on the migration of populations in 74 cities and townships，listed as a key project in the State’s Seventh Five-Year Plan and undertaken by the Institute of Population studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences，b）the survey on the country’s fertility，conducted in April 1985 by the State Statistical Bureau in the provinces of Hebei and Shaanxi and in Shanghai，and c）the 1982 survey on families and marriage in five cities，including Beijing.

These surveys have furthered China’s population studies by allowing us to acquire first-hand data on major aspects of the status quo in the Chinese population，and to fill many gaps in the research. Much information has been provided to the relevant government departments. Also，personnel has been trained on computer use in the process of the surveys.

Currently，overseas scholars are more impressed with China’s population surveys than with their analysis. Now that China’s population is nearing 1.1 billion. A deeper understanding of the country’s population，careful surveys and in-depth analyses are needed. Follow-up surveys and surveys about special subjects should also be done. The best possible use should be made of data obtained through these surveys. More final products from rough data are needed in popuahion research.

Third，research on basic theories has gone hand in hand with that on applied population science. Not long ago，there was practically no population research done in China. In the past 10 years，research on basic population theories has developed rapidly. More than a dozen works，as well as textbooks and reference books have been published. Meanwhile，progress has also been made in research on the practical aspects of population science. The population question is a major factor in studies dealing with contemporary China’s national condition. The hindrance of a large population to China’s modernization drive has been analyzed in the research on how to control population growth. Family planning departments，supported by statistics，have expounded the necessity of family planning as a basic national policy. Techniques for the prediction of population development have been improved. Contraceptive methods have been bettered by adapting techniques discovered overseas to the special requirements and preferences of Chinese women. Remarkable progress has been made in research on China’s strategies and goals in population control，the country’s population capacity，future tendencies in population development and prediction of the population in the year of 2000.

Research on the quality of the country’s population has promoted the combination of population studies with research on eugenics and efforts to raise the nation’s educational level beneficiaI analyses have been made on the population’s mortality by medical workers and population scholars.

Not only the population’s quantity and quality are being studied，but its age structure as well，especially the tendency of the population’s aging process and the urban/rural distribution of aging. Chinese scholars have acquired a clear understanding of the status quo of the country’s elderly population and the population’s aging process，and are now able to offer suggestions for an overall strategy for the development of Chinese population，and for appropriate measures to be taken concerning the aging process，laying a foundation for further research on the elderly population.

It is encouraging that there have been such remarkabIe achievements and that such rapid progress has been made in China’s population studies in the 10 years since the third plenary session of the Party’s 11th Central Committee. Still，people should be aware that as we are dealing with a population of more than a billion people，the number of population scholars in China is not big enough to meet the needs of socialist modernization，that there has been little or no research on many population issues and that the research on certain issues has been done on a low level. Looking ahead，we can see that we shoulder heavy responsibilities. We must take on the responsibilities entrusted to us by history，and carry on the research on population science. As we commemorate the loth anniversary of the third plenary session of the Party’s 11th Central Committee，it is of particular importance to recall the speech made at the session by Comrade Deng Xiao ping on freeing the mind，seeking truths through facts and looking ahead in unity. The rapid progress of population studies since the session must be attributed primarily to the emancipation in thinking achieved by the adoption of the materialist guideline that practice is the only criterion in judging the truth. Without this emancipation，the case over A New Theory on Population by noted economist Ma Yinchu，severely criticized in the 1950s，would not have been reversed. Without this too，the goal to limit the country’s population to within 1.2 billion by the end of the century would not have been set，nor would the policy have been made to request each couple to have only one child. Eugenics would not have received as much attention as it has and the country’s population policy would not have been gradually improved. Every breakthrough in China’s population studies is in some way a result of this emancipation of the mind.

Of course，people’s minds need to be further freed in order to deepen the country’s population studies and promote research on the theoretical and practical aspects of population science，as well as on how to combine them. Many new questions have arisen with the changes caused by the rural and urban economic reforms and the implementation of the more flexible policies. For instance，while the economic boom brought about by the reform will result in a decline in the fertility rate in the long-term，did it lead to a growth or a decline in the fertility rate in the short-term？What are the conditions and criteria for the growth or decline of this rate？There have also been changes in causes of death：the development of a market-oriented economy and the increase in the mobility of the population have led to an increase in accident-caused deaths. The rapid increase in the mobility of the population and its migration，as well as the progress of urbanization are both results of the develcIpment of a market-oriented economy and have had a profound impact on the growth of the national economy and are even related to current inflation rates. Certain sensitive population issues such as marriage，family and the changes in women’s status in the family and in society，have also been affected by the reform and deserve more research. The tremendous impact of the changes in the composition and age structure of the population on economic and social development is not to be ignored. The accelerating process of aging of the Chinese population requires corresponding adjustments in the country’s systems of production，consumption and social security in order for it to be prepared to deal with the peak of the process which will occur in four or five decades.

Seeking truths through facts is the principle of the necessary emancipation of thought. Research should be conducted on the basis of the current reality in China in order that it be of the best quality and practical value. The accomplishments and scientific methodologies of overseas population studies should be introduced into practice in China. Population scholars of different generations，research areas and schools，and those with different views，should respect and learn from one another to help further research. As Comrade Deng Xiaoping said 10 years ago，we should “look ahead in unity.”