The urban changes in Beijing started in the second half of the 20th century. Modernization programs in the 1950s and 1960s improved roadways and streets by making them wider. Economic reforms in the late 70s and early 80s brought improvements to the commercial industry. Projects such as new shopping malls and parks were constructed in a short amount of time and increased the presence of modern technological advancements. One of the advancements was “Silicon Valley,” which was a collaborative effort of two universities (Peking and Tsinghua). Later, the city implemented additional subway lines, which facilitated faster transportation and accelerated the urbanization process.
After the end of the Second World War, China started slowly introducing new urbanization and industrialization projects. One such project was “The Great Leap Forward,” which was led by the Chinese Communist Party and attempted to introduce people’s communes in rural areas. However, this change slowed the urbanization process, and more people began to leave cities. Since the 1990s, urbanization in China has continued to increase due to economic and technological advancements. As a result, the Chinese government converted large farm areas to urban needs. Since 2004, China has entered a state of rapid economic growth and begun to expand its infrastructure.
I think Asia experiences many gender gaps that affect people’s ability to find a job or have a steady income. In my opinion, China’s income inequality is one of the most severe issues that affect all genders. In some areas, female workers may get less pay due to the strong hierarchical structure of the financial industry that favors male specialists. I think such gender differences occur mostly in urban areas and barely affect rural facilities and farms.