Chinese Real Output 1950-1970

The most discouraging aspect of any attempt to examine the economic development of China is the lack of any long-term series of basic data. There are, of course, a number of studies [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] which include valuable statistics but until a systematic attempt is made to put all these together, to supplement and to modify them, we feel that we are looking at a confused picture. We cannot even see clearly where the gaps in our knowledge lie. (It is precisely for this reason that the construction of National and Social Accounts despite lack of data are so important – as Miss Peter Ady pointed out long since). This brief paper cannot claim to go far in the direction of coordinating all the available material on Chinese output but it makes an attempt to provide one useful series which, it is hoped, will reveal – at least roughly – the magnitude of China’s development.