Population Changes In Kunshan: 1978-2005

The years from 1978 to 2005 witnessed the rapid social and economic development and population changes of Kunshan. Starting from the research of population changes in Kunshan, this dissertation aims to reassess the interactive progresses and relationships between population changes, economic development and social progress to offer a rational reflection and prospect of the subject matter, and provide necessary inspirations for the sustainable development in the economically developed areas.Kunshan, as a county-level city, has pioneered the economic and social development of our country and has already gained remarkable achievements. The population changes in Kunshan possess a unique feature. This dissertation historically outlines the basic progresses of the population numbers and structures of Kunshan in the past 20 years and traces the origins of the interaction of population changes and social and economic development in the context of non-agriculturization and urbanization.The author of this dissertation holds that Kunshan, starting from township enterprises to foreign-related economies, has experienced the development of primitive to foreign-related industrialization, which results not only in the transition from the "co-worker and co-farmer" mode to a total non-agriculturization, but also in the provision of the non-agriculturization of the external labor-force. At the same time, in the contexts of the flexibility and opening of the census register system, the population urbanization, as an unavoidable tendency, underwent the processes of slow start, accelerated promotion and depth development, and with the further perfection the social security system, demonstrated a development tendency of urban-rural integration.The author of this dissertation believes that the rapid increase and assembly of external population are the most striking characteristic and feature of the social and economic phenomena in Kunshan after the reform and opening-up. Through deep exploration into the migrating backgrounds, basic conditions and major features of the external population, and the unique group of Taiwan businessmen in particular, this dissertation reveals that the external population not only forcibly promoted the economic development and opening-up, but also possessed great challenges for the sustainable development of Kunshan, a typical migrating city.Under the guidance of the proper population theory, this dissertation suggests that, in the process of population changes, governmental adjustment and control in population numbers, distributions and qualities be enforced in Kunshan for the sustainable development of the population, resources, environments, society and economy, whose effective measures may possess reference and inspiration for the economically developed areas.