30 in 30 - 2002: Allowances help impoverished citizens

WATCH VIDEO

Some cities tried to provide help for the long term. Wuhan, in central China, promised to help 50-thousand laid-off workers find new jobs in a period of three years.

In the mid-1990s, Shanghai led the country in  subsidizing residents with financial difficulties.

The other 5-percent of recipients, like old people who have no children, continue to receive broad financial support, including extra subsidies for medical expenses. Some even enjoy preferential policies for water fees, rent, and their children's school fees.

When a natural disaster hits, affected people would also be subsidized by the government. In 2002, Zhejiang province appropriated more than 26 million yuan to help cities and counties, which were affected by floods or typhoons that year.

Tomorrow in our special report on the country's reform and opening up, we will look at how Shanghai removed restrictions to attract talented people.

Editor:Liu Fang