Societal Transformations: China has become one of the world's fastest growing economies and is among its 10 largest. More and more Chinese are moving to the cities, giving up their traditional lifestyles and enjoying a higher quality of life. In recent years, China has also become a trading giant - it is the world's fifth largest exporter of merchandise after the US, Germany, Japan, and France. In many cities, skyscrapers dominate the skyline and Western brands fill smart new shopping centres. Mobile phones are ubiquitous, and computer use has soared in recent years, resulting in an estimated 90 million internet users, four times more than in 2000.
But the modernization of China also highlights a country of marked contrasts, with millions being left on the margins of the new prosperity. The economic boom has led to a widening wealth gap, most acute between coastal and interior regions. The richest 20 percent of the population account for 50 percent of consumption, while the poorest 20 percent don't even consume five percent of the country's resources.
