【明報專訊】China's once-a-decade census officially began on 1 November 2010. Over six million people have been hired to go knocking at doors to collect data. This is the central government's sixth census. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (國家統計局), the census will be carried out in six stages. The final and full findings of it will be made public by June 2012.
This is the first Chinese census to cover non-Chinese long-term residents on the mainland. To collect data from them, volunteers who speak foreign languages have been enlisted, and questionnaires have been prepared in at least five foreign languages including English, French and German.
■Keywords
population growth 人口增長
statistical data 統計數據
■Questions
1. What is the key issue mentioned in this short article?
2. Why does the census cover non-Chinese long-term residents?
3. Why are censuses essential for policymaking?
■Further readings
1. CNN. "Who's knocking at my door? The Chinese census", 2010.11.02
2. National Bureau of Statistics of China:www.stats.gov.cn
