China has long faced resource constraints relative to its vast population because its population grew very rapidly during the mid-20th century to nearly 1 billion people by the 1970s. This rapid population growth put enormous pressure on China’s limited natural and economic resources, including arable land and healthcare.
To address this, China implemented strict population control policies like the one-child policy starting in 1979 to limit further strain on scarce resources. The government’s historical promotion of large families, combined with limited economic development under communist policies, resulted in greater demand for resources than could be sustainably supplied, which led to a continuous need for careful resource allocation and collective management. Thus, resource scarcity has shaped cultural and strategic approaches to decision-making that prioritize efficiency, conservation, and long-term social stability.