China,oneofthemostfascinatingcountriesonEarth,hasahistoryofmorethan5,000yearsandiscurrentlythesecondlargesteconomyintheworld.Chinaisgoingthrougharemarkableandrapidchangewithwidespreadeconomicreforms.Before1949,Chinawascharacterizedbyextremepoverty,incomeinequalities,andinsecurity.Since1980,thankstotheeconomicreforms,people'sstandardoflivingstartedtoclimbbeyondthebasiclevel.Thegeneralpopulationhadadequatefood,clothing,andhousing,andordinaryfamiliescouldaffordtoeatavarietyoffoodsandwearstylishclothing.