Question

T/F - Cities have been an important part of China's development for centuries, as evidenced by the fact that more than 50% of its population was urban by 1950

Answer 1

The statement is false; less than 12% of China's population lived in urban areas by the late Song dynasty, and by 1950, it was far from 50%. It was only by 2010 that approximately 47% of China's population became urban.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that more than 50% of China's population was urban by 1950 is false. Historical data indicate that by late in the Song dynasty, approximately 12% of China's population may have lived in cities.

Moreover, around the year 1900, only 20 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas, which includes China. It wasn't until 2010 when China's urban population reached approximately 47%, signifying a significant increase in urbanization since 1978 when the urban population was just 17%.

This transition from rural to urban areas has been among the largest in human history and continues to shape China's development and its industrial labor base.