1997-2006：Chinese Peasants

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His earning for the day, $1.2.

A Peasant Family's Balance Sheet, 1999

"My father has passed away. By chance I found his account book, which recorded the income and expenditure of 1999."

1. Expenditure after the Spring Festival
1) Urea: 95 yuan per sack, 3 sacks added up to RMB285 yuan.
2) Diesel oil for pumping water to the field: RMB1.1 per jin (or half a kilo). 15kilos added up to RMB33 yuan.
3) Pesticide: RMB18 yuan per bottle, two bottles added up to RMB36 yuan.
Subtotal: RMB354 yuan.
2. Expenditure in October for the autumn planting
1) Ploughing: RMB20 yuan per man per day, RMB60 yuan for days
2) Fertilizer: Urea 95 yuan per sack, 3 sacks added up to RMB285 yuan
3) Pesticide: RMB20 yuan per bottle, 2 botles added up to RMB40 yuan
4) Diesel oil for pumping water to the field: RMB1.2 yuan per jin, 15 kilos added up to RMB36 yuan
5) Manure: RMB10 yuan per tricycle, 4 tricycles added up to RMB40 yuan.
6) Seeds: RMB2.5 yuan per jin, 30 kilos added up to RMB150 yuan
Subtotal RMB611 yuan.
7) Expenditure for the production brigade charge
8) Charge for public accumulation funds: RMB48 yuan per person, 3 people added up to RMB144 yuan.
9) Charge for village road construction: RMB20 yuan per person, 3 people added up to RMB60 yuan.
10) Charge for not contributing work to other public infrastructure construction: RMB15 yuan per person, 3 people added up to RMB45 uyan
11) Charge for school construction: RMB48 yuan per person, 3 people RMB144 yuan.

Annual Crop Income:
RMB750 yuan for wheat per mu (=1/15 hectare), 3 mu added up to 2250 jin (=1125 kilos of wheat)
Crop taxes (in physical terms): 90 kilos per person, 3 people added up to 270 kilos
After-tax wheat: 1125 kilos - 270 kilos = 855 kilos
Price for wheat: 0.48 per half kilo, 855 kilos added up to RMB820.8 yuan.
Balance of Income: Income - Expenditure = 820.8 - 1358 = - 537.2 yuan (or US$65.5 as a loss