Consumer Policy (China)

Since 1949, consumer policy in China has been closely connected to the ideological direction of ruling Communist Party elites. After the establishment [Page 282]of the People's Republic of China, a command economy was established that went much further toward controlling all aspects of everyday life than found in the former Soviet Union. On gaining power, the Chinese Communist Party nationalized urban land and businesses and collectivized farmland. In addition, all citizens were limited in their movements by strict residency laws (known as the hukou system) that defined where a person could live and work. Within urban areas, production was organized around work units (danwei), distinct spatial compounds designed to house, feed, entertain, educate, care for, and monitor residents. In addition to their role as the ...