1980                                                                1999

As is shown in the two charts, more than half of the Chinese were engaged in agriculture in the 1980’s, about 27% were employed in manufacturing, while only 5% were working in the service industry. However, only 20 years later, in the 1999’s great changes have occurred in the professional pattern in China, with a great increase in the people involved either in manufacturing or service and a corresponding shrinking in agricultural population.

At the year of 80s, the people were very proud of working in manufacture, due to it was more stable job than others, especial carry on their parents work, due to the population there was no many positions available, the children can take over or exchange with the parents at the same company if he or she failed to get into the college. For me after graduation from school I worked in the Joint Venture Hotel at that time, nobody knew what kind of jobs I did, they thought I like a servant including washing plates or cleaning the toilet. Some people were laugh at my mom and me. As a result of China’s open-door and economic reform policies, in fact, the foreign management and skills we had learned a lots from them.

These dramatic changes can be explained by the traditional theory that a primitive economy has a large population engaged in farming, and as it develops, more people will move over into manufacturing and the service industries, besides, typical of China, with the development of what is called the village and township enterprise, a great number of famers are now working in various small businesses with without leaving their homes, which account mainly for the increase in manufacturing population.

These changes signify the great achievements. China has made since she launched the economic reform and opened her door to the world. And they also mark a great leap forward on her way towards an economic power in the world.