Credit image: Ben V/Flickr.com

Geography

China is located in Southeast Asia, along the Pacific Ocean coastline. China is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and Canada. China covers an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and reaches Mohe in Heilongjiang Province at the far north end, and Zengmu Ansha to the far south end (Travel China Guide, 2018). The current population of China is 1,416,456,152 people, counting for over eighteen percent of the total world population (Worldometers, 2018).

World ties with China were evolved through years of conquest, religion, and trade. Some of the major products which were first developed in China were silk, porcelain, gunpowder, tea, paper, and woodblock printing. These things were sought after by nearly every outside culture. In exchange for these products, the Chinese searched for exotic goods, horses, and jade (Asian Art Museum, 2012).

Disability Statistics

China is home to the largest population of people with disabilties. The are currently around 83 million people with disabilities in China, with a million in Beijing alone (Facts and Details, 2018). Not only are these people living with disabilities, but they are also living in poverty. Seventy-five percent of those living with disabilities in China are living in the countryside (a poor area) and twenty-one percent of those are living off of less than thirty-seven cents a day (Fjeld & Sagli, 2016). Attending school is also difficult for people with disabilities. The amount of school dropouts for children with disabilities is nearly thirty-five percent among those who are six through seventeen years old (Y-Wang, 2016).

Even in China’s most developed cities, there are still not many accessible areas for people with disabilities. In every city, sidewalks often end abruptly, ramps are always too steep for wheelchairs, and elevators often stay locked. People with disabilities are rarely seen in public because it is far too difficult to get around (Wangyun, 2017). This creates an endless cycle, because city officials feel no need for accessible areas since they are not seeing any disabled people in public, and so they do not improve the accessibility of the city.

Model(s) of Disability

There are two major health models that China recognizes in regards to people with disabilities. The first is called the Encouragement Model. The Encouragement Model depicts those with disabilities as “broken in body, but strong in spirit” (Wangyun, 2017). This model is very similar to the ‘inspiration porn’ we have learned about thus far in class, in that it applauds the fact that people with disabilities are still able to actually accomplish things. The second health model is called the Hardship Model. This model evokes pity and creates the notion that those with disabilities are helpless and cannot continue living without the help of those without disabilities.

Perception of Disability

Though China has seen some improvements in the acceptance of disabilities, there are still stigmas surrounding disability. Based off of the level of accessibility in China, those with disabilities are sure to feel like a nuisance to society. Though in recent years China has put several laws into place to help those with disabilities, there is still much discrimination to be combatted. Until recently, people in China labeled those with disabilities as canfei ren, which translates to, “disabled garbage people.” Today, numerous citizens will still avoid those who have disabilities all together, and discrimination is still a frequent occurrence (Avery, 2016).

 

References:

Wangyun, D. (2017, December 04). Invisible Millions: China’s Unnoticed Disabled People. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001285/invisible-millions-chinas-unnoticed-disabled-people

An Introduction to the Geography of China. (2012). Retrieved October 3, 2018, from http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/geography-china

China Population (LIVE). (2018, October 3). Retrieved October 3, 2018, from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/

Y-Wang. (2016, March 07). A Glance at People with Disabilities in China. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/articles/a-glance-at-people-with-disabilities-in-china

Fjeld, H., & Sagli, G. (2016, February 29). Disability, poverty and healthcare: Changes in the canji (‘disability’) policies in the history of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from http://policypress.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1332/policypress/9781847428851.001.0001/upso-9781847428851-chapter-3

China Geography. (2018). Retrieved October 3, 2018, from https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/geography/

Avery, K. (2016, March 07). Disability and the Three Traditional Chinese Belief Systems : Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/articles/disability-and-the-three-traditional-chinese-belief-systems

HANDICAPPED PEOPLE IN CHINA. (2018). Retrieved December 6, 2018.