History of economic and demographic development of the Chinese northeastern province of Liaoning (late 1970-ies – early XXI century)

The article presents the history of economic and demographic development of one of the Chinese northeastern provinces of Liaoning in the period from the late 1970-ies to the beginning of the XXI century. A comprehensive examination of evolution of the demographic problem in Northeast China through the prism of the history of Liaoning Province will make it possible to understand the origins of the modern problem of declining birth rates and reducing the rate of population growth in Dongbei. The purpose of the article is to examine the history of economic and demographic processes in the northeastern province of Liaoning in order to determine the causes and conditions of depopulation of the population of this territory, as well as to establish the features of economic transformations. The study found that the transformation and modernization of the regional economy of Liaoning Province during the policy of «reform and opening up» was associated with the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, the renewal of urban and rural infrastructure, industrial transformation, the expansion of the service industry, attracting domestic and foreign investment, increasing the volume of export-import transactions. The introduction of market relations in the conditions of building a socialist society transformed all spheres of life in Liaoning. Demographic changes in Liaoning Province were influenced by a set of economic transformations associated with the transition to market relations and the transformation of state-owned enterprises, as well as the beginning of the implementation of the «one family, one child» policy at the national level in 1982. From 1978 to present XXI century the province was characterized by a slowdown in population growth, a decrease in the birth rate, an outflow of population to the eastern and southeastern regions of China, and the implementation of socio-economic measures to improve the living conditions of the population of Liaoning Province.