A better life for all: China’s real economic success

Source: Global Times

By Ding Gang

Updated: 2025-09-19 20:54

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

If you want to understand the Chinese economy truly, it takes more than reading numbers off a screen. You need to see how ordinary Chinese people live their lives.

What's remarkable about China's growth isn't just those giant statistics, but how this economic transformation has improved the lives of hundreds of millions of ordinary families. Those are the real stories.

Let me start with a number that may sound simple but carries enormous weight.

According to the latest announcement from the State Council Information Office, as of 2024, the average life expectancy in China has risen to 79 years. That's not an abstract figure - it represents the standard of living and the health of ordinary people across the country.

Now, let's rewind 20 years. In 2005, the average life expectancy in China was about 72.1 years, while it was 77.6 in the US. That's a difference of more than five years.

At that time, China was rapidly moving from being an agrarian society to an industrial powerhouse, but the healthcare system was still playing catch-up. Many older adults in rural areas had to walk several miles to see a doctor, and even hospitals in big cities could be cramped and under-equipped.

Fast forward two decades, and China's life expectancy has surged by almost seven years, from 72.3 to 79.

But this isn't just a numbers game. These statistics tell the story of millions of Chinese families leading healthier, longer and happier lives.

Why has China's average life expectancy risen so quickly?

Over the past decade, the government has committed substantial resources to enhancing public welfare, particularly in healthcare.

Just look at the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), which laid out blueprints for 114 national regional medical centers. These centers act as bridges, connecting world-class medical resources from top cities to towns and counties all over China.

In practice, this means county hospitals and township clinics are working together like never before, forming an efficient healthcare safety net.

I've experienced this progress firsthand. Early this year, during a trip to Lingao, a small tropical county in South China's Hainan Province, I injured my ankle and went to the county hospital's emergency room.

To my surprise, I found that the hospital was equipped with modern CT and X-ray equipment, with attentive, professional doctors who gave me a complete checkup and advice for recovery. The whole process was quick and affordable.

Later in the summer, I visited a hospital in Meixian County, a modest agricultural region in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Again, the county hospital impressed me: clean waiting areas, patient doctors and state-of-the-art equipment.

A local resident told me that most people now choose the county hospital for their healthcare needs, as all routine tests and treatments can be managed locally, with only complicated cases being referred to larger hospitals elsewhere.

The progress in these county hospitals is the direct result of nationwide initiatives. The "Thousand Counties Project" has targeted over 1,800 county hospitals for major upgrades, including expanded facilities, new specialty departments and telemedicine.

Now, nearly 90 percent of patients receive the care they need within their own county - an achievement that stands out globally and has drastically reduced deaths from delayed treatment.

Across the nation, this healthcare transformation is raising living standards for everyone, reducing poverty and allowing more people to participate in the growing economy.

The rise in life expectancy didn't happen by chance - it's the result of practical, robust policies aimed at giving people not just longer lives, but healthier lives.

This is the essence of Chinese modernization - not a single-minded pursuit of numbers, but a mission to build a better life for all.

It's not an empty slogan - it shows up in metrics like life expectancy that capture what truly matters to people. China's achievement isn't just about GDP growth or high-tech breakthroughs, but about real, everyday improvements in the standard of living and the health of every citizen.