China

Home to almost one-fifth of the world’s population, China borders 14 countries and has the third largest land area of any country in the world.

  • Population
    1,341,335,000
  • Land mass
    3,705,407
  • Life Expectancy
    73 years
  • Literacy Rate
    94%
  • Access to Safe Water
    89%
  • Under Age 5 Mortality Rate
    18/1000
China Map

US Comparison to China

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China United States
Population
1,341,335,000
307,000,000
Land Mass
3,705,407
3,794,083 sq miles
Life Expectancy
73 years
78 years
Infant Mortality
18/1000
7/1000
Literacy Rate
94%
97%
School Enrollment
96%
92%
Access to Safe Water
89%
100%
Average Annual Income
$4,260
$41,400

World Vision in China Today

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of China to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 7,300 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in China. World Vision has also responded to natural disasters over the past few years:

  • When a massive snowstorm in January and February 2008 affected over 47 million people, World Vision distributed quilts, generators, rice, and child-friendly kits to more than 300,000 people.
  • After a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in March 2008 and a 7.9 earthquake in May 2008, World Vision supplied food and medical supplies to the survivors and supported the rebuilding of 27 schools and over 7,900 homes.
  • World Vision provided relief and recovery support to survivors of the April 2010 7.1 earthquake in the Qinghai Province. The earthquake killed over 2,500 people and affected more than 100,000 more.

World Vision History in China

A 1947 trip to China awakened Dr. Bob Pierce, who founded World Vision three years later, to humanitarian needs around the world.  It would be another three decades before World Vision was able to respond to humanitarian needs. Since then, some major accomplishments in the country include:

  • Helping people in Hong Kong affected by Typhoon Wanda in 1962.
  • Distributing relief supplies to survivors of massive floods in 1981 and 1991.
  • Providing food, medicine, temporary shelter, clothing, blankets, and the rehabilitation of houses and public buildings after the 1988 Yunnan earthquake.
  • Offering health education, training opportunities, orphan care, and the construction of water systems in the 21st century.

Geography & People

Geography and people

Home to almost one-fifth of the world’s population, China borders 14 countries and has the third largest land area of any country in the world.

China’s terrain varies from mountains, high plateaus, and deserts in the west to plains, deltas, and hills in the east. The diverse climate ranges from tropical in the south to subarctic in the north.

Natural resources include coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, aluminum, zinc, and uranium. China also has the world’s largest potential for hydropower.

Most of China’s population is Han Chinese, while 55 other ethnic groups make up the remainder. There are eight major languages and hundreds of dialects.

About 70 percent of people work in agriculture growing rice, wheat, tea, and a variety of other crops. Many farming families struggle to grow even enough food to feed their children and rarely have a surplus to sell for other needs.

Families are very important in China. Children are expected to care for their aging parents. Most families have only one child.

History

The earliest Chinese settlements date to around 5000 B.C. in the Yellow River Basin. Feudal states—often at war with one another—did not unite until late 200 B.C. with the construction of the Great Wall. China remained mostly isolated from other countries until the 1850s when the West gained trading power and the Port of Hong Kong fell under British rule.

Ongoing internal battles for control kept China in a state of civil war until Communism gained power in the 1940s. The Mao regime proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

Economic reforms in the 1970s increased consumer prices and improved the standard of living. Over the next decade, the population’s growing disagreement with country leadership led to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

China regained Hong Kong and joined the World Trade Organization in the 1990s. In August 2008, China hosted the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Natural disasters have marked the past few years: a severe snowstorm and two large earthquakes in 2008, and a 7.1 earthquake in April 2010.

Prayer Requests for China

Please pray for:

People struggling to recover from natural disasters.

Families living in poverty to find jobs and have access to life basics like food and healthcare.

China Facts

  • While new construction and increased urbanization has boosted the economy, these processes are energy-intensive and polluting. A program to clean up Beijing's air and water contamination has shut down or relocated factories and replaced coal-burning furnaces with cleaner natural gas units.
  • Since 1990, mortality rates for children under age 5 have declined by 25 percent, but high rates persist in rural areas that do not have quality medical care.
  • The HIV and AIDS problem continues to grow, with new cases rising dramatically from 2002 to 2007. Over 700,000 Chinese now live with HIV and AIDS.

Child Sponsorship

Through sponsorship, World Vision is partnering with families and communities to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.

Each year sponsors receive updates about their sponsored child and their community. Sponsors also learn about the child's continuing activities and new accomplishments so when they correspond with their child, they can encourage them in their education, hobbies and endeavors.

The commitment of World Vision sponsors helps provide children with love, hope, and opportunities for a healthy, productive future. May God bless sponsors as they make a lasting difference in the life of a special child.

Progress in

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, World Vision was able to work alongside communities to accomplish the
following in 2012.

Food and Agriculture

  • Increased crop production by improving irrigation facilities and providing seeds to farmers.
  • Trained farmers in animal husbandry and helped them buy livestock, providing food and generating income.

Water and Sanitation

  • Constructed water tanks and installed pipes, improving access to clean drinking water and reducing waterborne illness.

Education

  • Improved school facilities by repairing windows and roofs and building classrooms.
  • Helped children stay in school by assisting with tuition and expenses.
  • Worked with local agencies to organize sign language training for hearing-impaired children and their caregivers.
  • Coordinated with schools to hold art competitions and sports days, enriching students’ educational opportunities and motivating them to stay in school.
 

Economic Development

  • Expanded the market for local goods by educating entrepreneurs about marketing and helping them network with buyers.
  • Helped villages construct roads, reducing transportation costs and facilitating trade.

Child Rights

  • Organized women’s groups to raise awareness of women’s rights and provide leadership opportunities.

Birthday Celebration

  • Children played games, enjoyed a birthday party, and received gifts, which included a new set of thermal clothing and a game.
 

Healthcare

  • Facilitated health checkups for children and followed up with home visits for those who were malnourished.
  • Trained healthcare workers and caregivers in child health and nutrition.
  • Worked with schoolteachers to provide age-appropriate HIV-prevention education for young people.
  • Continued a program that teaches schoolchildren and their parents about safety, working to reduce accidental injury and drowning in the community.