Mei-ling and Yi Cheng and their four children live on a farm in China located near the large city of Shanghai. Life on the farm today is unlike it was when they were younger. Less than 10 years ago, the family was quite poor and lived in a run-down small home with no plumbing. There were seldom good times. Raising enough food to eat and to sell barely made ends meet, and the economy was not at all like today's, with the GDP growing so rapidly.
1. How does the current life of the Chengs compare with that of the average American family? By American standards, would they be classified at the poverty level? Explain your answer.
2. Do the Chengs live more under a capitalistic or a communistic system? Explain your answer.
3. Using the library or the Internet, find out whether the Chinese people who live in large cities have a better quality of life than do people like the Chengs who live in rural areas. Report your findings to the class.
4. What conditions exist or could occur that would cause Yi's employer to leave China? Obtain information from your library or the Internet to make a report to the class.