A lthough it is difficult to com pare recreation facilities in the two cities, the limited facilities in Shenzhen were inadeq u ate as most leisure activities either originated from Hong Kong or were related to tourism. As they were concentrated in the more populated districts (Luohu and Shangbu), the catc h m e n t areas of hospitals and schools indicate t h a t locations of social facilities were efficient as they minimized travel time. Nevertheless, there is evidence t h a t socio-economic s ta tu s affected accessibility to social goods. Housing, for instance, was allocated according to bureaucratic ranking or vocational sta tu s . Also, Shekou residents were able to purchase their own dwellings at an earlier period owing to higher incomes; better-off residents were subsidized to enable th em to acquire their own housing; b etter tra n s p o rt services were available to those who could afford higher fares; and wider channels of more costly leisure activities were available to those who could afford them. In addition, more qualified technicians and professionals were lured by the provision of spacious housing, priority medical tre a tm e n t and p riv a te tra n s p o rt. Individuals of higher social and economic sta tu s , therefore, possessed b e tte r access to social goods. T hus, the process of socio-economic s tra tific a tio n accelerated. Nevertheless, the g o v e rn m e n t’s ability to provide relatively high s ta n d a r d s of social services indicates the viability of the special economic zone policy to improve general living s tand ards.
R E SU M E
This C h a p te r has exam ined the well-being of the Zone's population by focusing on its economic ability and th e provision of social goods. A tte n tio n has also been devoted to varia tio n s engendered by different socio-economic characteristics. Prior to the analysis of the p o p u la tio n ’s economic well-being and the provision of social goods by the g o v ernm ent, the dem ographic stru c tu re of Shenzhen was studied to provide a basis for assessing the distribu tio n of economic and social assets. This review highlighted t h a t between 1979 and 1984, rises in income had always been higher th an inflation, fostering a real expansion in income. As the population is dom inated by the young and economically active group, the rise in income had a greater significance to the general economic well-being of the p opulation th a n if it is dom inated by a n o th e r group. Also, prior to the wage and price reforms introduced between August and November 1984, the rural p o pu latio n, which only c o n stitu te d one-fifth of the to ta l population in 1984, enjoyed th e highest income in the Zone. In the urban sector, workers and staff of the state-ow ned institutio n s a n d enterprises had enjoyed a general rise in income. In pa rticu la r, workers in the science and research sector had experienced the greatest growth. By 1984, their income level had escalated from th e lowest to the highest. Workers in the commerce a n d services sector which c o n stitu te d the largest segment of the workforce in s ta te en terprises and institu tion s, followed with the second highest income.
T h e discussion of social goods underlined t h a t the Shenzhen auth o rity has been able to provide services to an expand ing population beyond those achieved by G u a ng zh ou, the provincial city. Recreation facilities for indigenous leisure activities were, however, inadequate. Given the large num ber of in-m igrants, the need for ample recreation facilities can n o t be o v erstated as social activities would otherwise be minimal for these newcomers. G enerally, the location of social services has followed the p a tte rn of p opu latio n distributio n. Hence, hospitals and schools were concentrated in the most p o p ulated districts. Nevertheless, accessibility to the social goods was affected by an in d iv id u al’s income and social s ta tu s as instanced in the allocation of housing (rent and p urchase), access to cheap and efficient tra n s p o rt, exotic leisure facilities, priority medical t r e a tm e n t, an d p riv a te tra n s p o rt. Po pu lation groups which enjoyed b etter income and higher vocation al ranks obviously enjoyed b e tte r access to higher quality services. Hence, th e differences in accessibility have prom oted the process of socio-economic stra tific a tio n . P e a san ts residing in the border region and high-ranked technicians and professionals c o n s titu te d the highest socio-economic groups in the Zone. Despite this socio-economic polarization and the removal of subsidies on basic goods, the performance and incentive-oriented wage reforms and new rural policy ensuing from the general zone policy were able to improve the well-being of the masses.