# Many small improvements make a harmonious society (和谐社会)?


It was great being back in Hangzhou, where I spent half a year in 2004.
Already, Hangzhou was known as one of the most beautiful cities in
China, and the local citizens were very proud of it. Coming back this
time, my friend told me of many small changes that in different ways
improved the citizens’ lives. The library, which was already a great
resource the last time I was here, abolished their 30 yuan/year fee for
obtaining a library card, and also allows you to enter the library with
your backpack, which was not allowed earlier.

They have started a system of free city bicycles - similar to what they
do in for example Paris. It’s not as smooth as it could be yet,
borrowing a bike requires an ID card, and a 300 yuan deposit, and the
worst part is that the bicycle has to be returned to the place where it
was borrowed. However, there are stations all around the West Lake area,
and some others in the city core, and the first hour of borrowing is
free. If you want to borrow it for longer, it’s only about 1 or 2 yuan
per hour. Although this is a relatively new program, I saw many people
enjoying a bike ride on a sunny Saturday around the lake.

I would love to know more about the development of health insurance
programs in China, but my friend told me that all children in Hangzhou
are automatically covered, and most adults with proper jobs receive
coverage through their companies (my friend is self-employed, and pays
about 100 yuan per month). This health insurance does not cover all
costs, but it provides a “ceiling” for annual health expenditure at 1500
yuan, after which health care becomes free. This is incredibly
important, because the newspapers are full of stories about families
that go bankrupt and end up in destitution, because on of the family
members fall seriously or chronically ill.

I also read in the newspaper that there were now projects to extend the
health insurance that farmers in Sichuan receive for a very low price,
to hospitals out of the province. Many farmers from Sichuan go to
Beijing or Shanghai to work, and if they fall sick there (or have an
accident), they often cannot afford to get treated in Beijing, and have
to take the train back to Sichuan to get treated. Now, at least two
hospitals in Beijing have signed an agreement with Sichuan province, and
will honor Sichuan health insurance. Clearly, health insurance is at an
early stage in China, but I still think all these different moves are
incredibly valuable to citizens.

Primary schools in China have long been supposed to be free, but this
has not been the case in practice, with schools charging all kinds of
extra fees, and depending on these to stay open - thus excluding many
children, whose parents cannot pay, especially in rural areas. From last
year, it seems that the policy of free primary schooling, followed by
increased transfers from the government, has finally been carried out,
and all the schools I talked to in rural China said, with considerable
pride, that the school now was completely free (including textbooks, but
excluding 10-20 RMB per year for note books), and that enrollment was
virtually hundred percent.

There are lots of problems in China, and innumerable challenges.
Certainly I would like to see more freedom of speech, less blocking of
the internet, and many other things. But as I write this, sitting on a
modern and clean train that does Hangzhou to Shanghai in 160 km/h, and I
think about what I mentioned above, and also what I wrote earlier about
the greening of China - I also see a huge amount of positive
developments, large and small. And I see many “democratic” governments
in the world that are doing a lot less to benefit all their citizens. I
can completely understand why the West’s complete lack of understanding
or appreciation of this, can frustrate and anger Chinese who are tired
of being scolded and belittled. Let us keep criticizing the bad things,
but let us also celebrate the good things.

Stian\
 PS: [Harmonious
society](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonious_society) (和谐社会) is
a term introduced by Hu Jintao to denote that Chinese development will
focus more on the social development of all citizens, and not just
blindly on GDP.