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consumption level of all Chinese residents. Statistics in 1990 showed that the average consumption level per capita of urban residents had increased from 149 yuan in 1952 to 1,442 yuan, an inflation-adjusted increase of 3.8 times.
China pays close attention to labor protection and has issued 1,682 laws, rules and regulations in 29 categories in this regard, while 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government have their own local laws and regulations for labour protection.
In addition, 452 articles of state technical standards regarding occupational safety and hygiene have been enacted throughout the country. China has established a state supervision system insuring labor safety, hygiene, protection for female workers and a work-hour and vacation schedule. So far more than 2,700 labour supervision institutions have been set up throughout China with some 30,000 supervisory personnel. The duty of the supervision institutions is to monitor the work of enterprises and their management with regard to labour safety and hygiene so as to stimulate the enterprises to improve working conditions constantly.
China adopts the policy of "safety first and prevention first" in labour protection, and combines state inspection with enterprise management and worker supervision. The government requires that 10%-20% of the enterprise's annual renovation fund be used for labor safety and hygiene. Labour protection is regarded by the state as an important factor in appraising the management skill of an enterprise. In cases of casualties, an investigation will be conducted to look into the responsibility of the leaders and personnel concerned.
China provides free medical service in the urban state institutions and undertakings and co-operative medical service in most rural areas. Thus both urban and rural workers are
assured of medical care. Those wounded or disabled on the job are provided living expenses from the state or the collective. In order to raise the level of labour protection, China has set up many testing centres for occupational safety and hygiene and labour-safety education offices. Dozens of universities have established safety-engineering departments. Labour and industry departments have set up scores of scientific research institutes which attempt to strengthen labour safety and improve working conditions for workers through scientific research, designing, production, usage and management. Compared with the sixth five-year plan period (1981-85), these efforts resulted in a 9.53% decrease in on-duty deaths and a 37.95% decrease in serious injury in state-owned and large collective enterprises during the seventh five-year plan period (1986-90).
The Chinese government pays special attention to the protection of female workers. In July 1988, the State Council promulgated Regulations on Labour Protection of Female Workers, laying down specific guidelines. For example, it is forbidden to make female workers engage in particularly strenuous work or work harmful to their physiological well- being. Also stipulated are concrete protections for female workers during the menstrual period, and also during pregnancy, maternity leave and breast-feeding, at which periods, their basic wages must remain the same and their work contracts cannot be terminated. In recent years, a child- bearing fund has been established in many places to offer living subsidies to women during breast-feeding and leave.
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Chinese workers are the masters of their enterprises. Workers' interests are closely connected with the enterprises' prosperity, and there is no conflict of fundamental interests between the managers and the workers. This reality determines that China's system of protecting workers' rights is different from that under the wage-labour system.
According to China's Law Concerning the Industrial Enterprises Owned by the Whole People, workers can directly participate in the formulation and supervision of regulations concerning the enterprise's operation, management, labour, personnel, wage, welfare, social security, collective welfare, etc. through the workers congress.
China's trade unions play a particularly important role in the protection of workers' right to work. Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening to the outside world in 1979, trade unions have accomplished the following five tasks: They have, first, actively practiced and improved the system of workers' congresses; second, set up various workers' schools to perfect the education system; third, organized labour
emulation drives and mobilized workers and staff to overfulfill state plans; fourth, protected workers' material and spiritual interests and guaranteed their welfare; and fifth, set up committees to deal with labour disputes.
In July 1987, the State Council issued the Interim Rules on Labour Disputes in State-Owned Enterprises. Aimed at readjusting labour relations in state-owned enterprises, this administrative law deals with disputes arising from the implementation of labour contracts and the dismissal of workers who violate discipline. Institutions specialized in handling these disputes include the enterprise labour dispute mediation committee, local labour dispute arbitration committee and the people's court. Most disputes are resolved through mediation by the committees. Only a minority of cases are settled through arbitration or by the people's court.
Incomplete statistics show that in 1990 enterprise labour dispute mediation committees and local labour dispute arbitration committees throughout China handled 18,573 labour dispute cases and settled 16,813, of which 15,881 were settled through mediation with a success rate as high as 94%. Only 932 cases were settled through arbitration, about 6% of the total decided cases. There were only 218 cases settled through court suit after arbitration failed, accounting for about 1.2% of the total number of completed cases.
The Chinese government attaches great importance to labour legislation. In accordance with the Constitution, the State Council and state labour administration departments have promulgated laws and regulations regarding wages, welfare, worker safety and health, as well as vocational training and grading, working and resting hours, trade unions and democratic management of enterprises. At present, the drafting of a labour law is under way.
VI. CITIZENS ENJOY FREEDOM OF
RELIGIOUS BELIEF
There are many religions in China, such as Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Among them Buddhism, Daoism and Islam are more widely accepted. It is difficult to count the number of Buddist and D-ois, belle.er: since there are no strict admittance rites. Minority nationalities such
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