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Y. Du
The general offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council introduced a three-year action plan for improving living environments in rural areas in
February 2018, stressing faster moves to shore up weak links regarding rural environments. Simply put, environmental protection in rural areas has drawn unprecedented
attention. It is a major task and will remain so for a long period of time to come.
This paper reviews the evolution of environmental protection policies in rural areas
over the past 70 years since the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded
in 1949. After attempts at different environmental issues and changes of policy
focuses at different stages, major good practices are identified as well as difficulties
that remain. Presenting experience of the UK, the US and Japan in environmental
protection in rural areas, the paper put forth several issues that China must properly
handle in environmental protection in rural areas in the new era.
1 Changes and Characteristics of China’s Environmental
Protection Policies for Rural Areas
Stage I (1949–1976): No policy. The stage can be further divided into three periods.
The first period lasted from 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded
to 1957 when the first Five-Year Plan period ended. The focus of the nation was to
recover national economy and build up pillar industries. There were no clear environmental protection policies or goals. The second period lasted from 1958 to 1965.
Major events such as the Great Leap Forward and the irrational pursuit of borrowed
boom in the iron and steel industry brought severe damage to the environment. Agricultural output slumped. The third period started in 1966 and ended in 1976. It
was a period when leftist ideas led to serious consequences in society. The national
economy was on the brink of a collapse, and environmental pollution and deterioration was very serious. For example, under wrong policies, a large number of factories
that involved hazardous substances were set up deep in mountainous areas. With a
sole focus on agricultural development, forests, grasslands and lakes were destroyed
and turned into farmland, leading to environmental deterioration in rural areas. In
1973, guiding principles and policies for environmental protection was proposed on
the national level with corresponding institutions established, but the focused was
on industries and urban areas. Generally speaking, the country paid more attention
to agricultural development and grain yields, while it failed to take good care of
the environment in rural areas. Moreover, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides and
excessive land reclamation brought negative impacts on the rural environment.
Stage II (1977–1994): Inception. The stage ran from the fifth to the eighth FiveYear Plan period. Bourgeoning township businesses in the early days of the reform
and opening up were accompanied by serious industrial pollutions. In the meantime,
the implementation of the production responsibility system boosted rural and agricultural development. For example, the total agricultural output of 1980 reached RMB
218.7 billion, and the grain yield was 320 million tons. In 1990, the figures were RMB
Y. Du
The general offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council introduced a three-year action plan for improving living environments in rural areas in
February 2018, stressing faster moves to shore up weak links regarding rural environments. Simply put, environmental protection in rural areas has drawn unprecedented
attention. It is a major task and will remain so for a long period of time to come.
This paper reviews the evolution of environmental protection policies in rural areas
over the past 70 years since the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded
in 1949. After attempts at different environmental issues and changes of policy
focuses at different stages, major good practices are identified as well as difficulties
that remain. Presenting experience of the UK, the US and Japan in environmental
protection in rural areas, the paper put forth several issues that China must properly
handle in environmental protection in rural areas in the new era.
1 Changes and Characteristics of China’s Environmental
Protection Policies for Rural Areas
Stage I (1949–1976): No policy. The stage can be further divided into three periods.
The first period lasted from 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded
to 1957 when the first Five-Year Plan period ended. The focus of the nation was to
recover national economy and build up pillar industries. There were no clear environmental protection policies or goals. The second period lasted from 1958 to 1965.
Major events such as the Great Leap Forward and the irrational pursuit of borrowed
boom in the iron and steel industry brought severe damage to the environment. Agricultural output slumped. The third period started in 1966 and ended in 1976. It
was a period when leftist ideas led to serious consequences in society. The national
economy was on the brink of a collapse, and environmental pollution and deterioration was very serious. For example, under wrong policies, a large number of factories
that involved hazardous substances were set up deep in mountainous areas. With a
sole focus on agricultural development, forests, grasslands and lakes were destroyed
and turned into farmland, leading to environmental deterioration in rural areas. In
1973, guiding principles and policies for environmental protection was proposed on
the national level with corresponding institutions established, but the focused was
on industries and urban areas. Generally speaking, the country paid more attention
to agricultural development and grain yields, while it failed to take good care of
the environment in rural areas. Moreover, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides and
excessive land reclamation brought negative impacts on the rural environment.
Stage II (1977–1994): Inception. The stage ran from the fifth to the eighth FiveYear Plan period. Bourgeoning township businesses in the early days of the reform
and opening up were accompanied by serious industrial pollutions. In the meantime,
the implementation of the production responsibility system boosted rural and agricultural development. For example, the total agricultural output of 1980 reached RMB
218.7 billion, and the grain yield was 320 million tons. In 1990, the figures were RMB