47Infrastructure has been radically improved since 1990. Then there were few
tarred roads and no railway access and many villages without running water and
electricity. Now 70 % of rural roads are asphalted, 75 % of households have direct
access to clean water, and almost all communities have electricity and mobile
phone access to communications (Map 3.1).
3.2 Change and Transformation in Huaziping
and Yanhewan
Two localities were selected for study in 1990, Huaziping xiang and Yanhewan
Township. In 2008 Huaziping had a population of 14,700, an increase of about
1450 compared to 1990. In recent year overall population growth has been below
1 % annually. The birth rate has fallen from about 25 ‰ to about 7 ‰. This fall
reflects a recent tightening of family planning policy such that few now have more
than two children. In 1990 there were many families with three or more children.
The numbers of live births are now less than a third of the numbers in the early
2000s and this will have consequences for school enrolments in the next decade.
The sex ratio on the population was about 110:100 in favour of boys in 1990 and
was similar in 2009.
In Yanhewan the population has fluctuated but still appears to be growing
slowly. In 1990 it was 16,300, it fell to 15,900 by 2000, and by 2009 it had risen to
17,000. Over twenty years growth was less than 1 % per annum. The proportion of
girls amongst live births has fallen as low as 38 % (2004), and is now about 43 %.
Unlike Huaziping the number of births appears not to be falling.
Huaziping is now a township not a xiang after an administrative re-organisa-
tion. In 1990 the economic and social development of Huaziping xiang lagged
behind Yanhewan Township. Both districts have progressed and now the develop-
ment of Huaziping Township has surpassed Yanhewan. This reversal in economic
and social development ranking mirrors the similar changes that have happened in
Tongzhou between Xiji and Dadushe Townships. This is a reminder that over time
development is often uneven and takes place at different rates in different places.
Huaziping Township is located 40 km north of Ansai County, with a total land
area of 325 km^2 most of which is farmland. The Yanhe river flows through the ter-
ritory. The township is rich in natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas.
The township has a jurisdiction over the 20 villages, and 106 villager groups, with
a total population of 13,600, of which the agricultural population is 13,200. In
1990, Huaziping Township only had a dirt road, and very few villages had electric-
ity. Today, every village has electricity, water supply and roads. Urbanization in
rural areas has made a rapid progress. There are convenient transport, information
and communication facilities. Radio, television, telephone and mobile commu-
nications coverage for the whole township The Yan-Jing provincial highway and
Abei expressway are under construction and run through the town. The Ping-Hua
and Hua-Zhang highways are being built.
3.1 Social and Economic Background