Beyond the glamorous skyscrapers of Beijing, Shanghai, and other urban centers, the majority of Chinese who live in the countryside have gained little from the material progress of the past two decades. On the contrary, the initial benefits that peasants gained from the rural reforms of the late 1970's and early 1980's have disappeared; real income among farmers has dropped in recent years as their production costs rise and agricultural prices decline.
在北京、上海和其它中心城市鳞次栉比的摩天大厦以外，生活在农村的大多数中国人从过去20年的物质进步中所获得的利益极为有限。相反，农民从上世纪七十年代末和八十年代初的农村改革中所获得的初始利益已不复存在；由于生产成本的提高和农产品价格的降低，农民的实际收入在近几年呈下降之势。在中国的大多数地方，从事农业生产已不能维持合理的生活水平。