D. Legal System
1. Organization of the judiciary system
There are three basic hierarchical courts in China, each of them takes care of specific groups or regions, the courts are: The Supreme Court, whose judges are appointed by the Nationals People’s Congress, Local People’s Courts, which comprises higher, intermediate, and basic courts, and the Special People’s Courts, which take care of maritime, military, railway transportation and forestry courts.
China’s organization of the judiciary system differs a lot from the United States one. The fact that the country does not have an independent legal system outside of the influence of the communist party makes it hard for citizens and people responsible to act effectively when attending legal manners.
Another issue that affects China’s legal system is the lack of neutrality, since the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is the entity in charge of approving all court appointments, meaning that if a case does not benefit the party, it won’t go through, in addition the judges main concern is to act on behalf of the party not the people. The CCP even has the power to interfere in deliberations and can overturn and override verdicts. Finally, the country does not have enough legal force (lawyers), since there is one lawyer per 10,000 people.
An interesting characteristic of China’s legal system that benefits businesses is the fact that lawyers and judges are trained to protect foreign investment, to create a safe environment for international firms, and to deal with commercial cases. However, this comes with a trade off, individuals have a hard time if seeking justice, since business disputes are the main concern.
2. Code, common, socialist, or Islamic-law country?
China is a communist state, meaning that the state controls the economy and holds the power. The Chinese Communist Party is the party who holds the power and has done so since 1949.
3. Participation in patents, trademarks, and other conventions
China participates in several international conventions: ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC.

E. Social Security

China did not have a Social Security legislation until 2011, when in 2010 the first law on social insurance was passed. The law unified the existing Social Security schemes.

There are several Social Security programs in China. Each program is destined to specific groups. The programs are: Old age, disability, and survivors, sickness and maternity, work injury, unemployment and family allowances.

The basic coverage encompasses people working at urban enterprises and institutions; however some arrangements are made to people who work at rural provinces. In addition, working for the communist party, are covered by a special government fund, which administer employees. The source of the funds for the Social Security, varies depending on the status the individual is Each plan has three main point it covers: The basic pension insurance, mandatory individual account and rural pilot pension.

Furthermore, people require some conditions to enter in one of the several pension plans. Old age pension are destined to men 60 years or older, and professional women. The disability pension is destined to people not able to work anymore, and the survivor pension goes toward the family of a deceased who was covered by a pension. It is interesting the fact that women need more requirements than men to be a part of the Social Security system in China.

D.Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities

1. Types available and in demand
Chinese are popular for being very intense sport fans. When they take up a sport they do it seriously. Many of their most strong and popular sports have originated in England. By far the most popular sport in China is Table Tennis; its official name in China is Ping Pong. Table Tennis players have a celebrity status in China. Therefore, the country has always been able to give birth to awesome Ping Pong players. The fact that they have won 16 over the last 20 Olympic gold medals is a proof of how serious it is for them. In addition, tennis is starting to become very popular thanks to Na Lin, who became the first Chinese to win a Major Grand Slam.
Badminton is the second most popular sport in China. China is the absolute badminton world champion; they have won over 40 gold medals. It is a sport given in middle and high schools, consequently kids grow up falling in love with the sport. They have some of the best players in the world.
Basketball has had its ups and downs in China. It was mainly a sport to spend some leisure time with friends. Since Chinese were not very tall and strong in last decades, the sport was not played at a professional level. However, with globalization and Internet, citizens started to follow other leagues and to get interested in the sport. Consequently, the Chinese Basketball Organization was born. Nevertheless, the sport became of national interest when Yao Ming signed for the Houston Rockets and when the USA dream team came to China for the Olympics. Many believe that China will be Basketball potency in a future.
Soccer as being the most popular sport in the world has a strong fan base in China. Chinese are crazy about soccer, especially about European soccer. Even though, they have their own domestic league, the majority of the country follows international soccer. During the last couple of years, teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have had tours in the Asian country. Chinese’s favorite players are Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. The only problem that they have is that its domestic league is stagnant and that its national team has not been able to excel.
Even though chess may be thought of as a leisure sport, in China is taken very seriously. The sport is government subsidized and since 1974 they have gradually grown to become potency. They have now 5 of the top hundred players. Finally China has also excelled in sports like boxing and gymnastics. They also have national baseball team, which will participate in the next World Baseball Classic in 2013. Finally, the Olympics in 2008 were a complete success where they won the medal count.
2. Percentage of income spent on such activities
C. Clothing
1. National dress
The Hanfu, a chinese silk robe especially used by aristocracy, has a history of more than three millennia. It is said to have been worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor, which consisted of a Yi, a narrow cuffed, knee-length robe tied with a band, and a narrow, ankle length skirt, called Shang, worn with a Bixi, a long front cloth panel attached belt, with a frame length that reached the knees. The Western Zhou Dynasty, established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of your rank influenced the design of a costume. Due to Confucian influence, the use of the Hanfu became flexible in favor of social mobility based on personal merit. But still, highest on the hierarchy had access to luxurious silk and accessories. Though, Chinese Han is now used only as a historical part of recreation, ceremonies, ceremonial clothing worn by priests, religious, or cultural exercise.

Some costumes commonly regarded as typically Chinese, such as the Qi-pao, are the result of influence brutal laws imposed by Manchurian rulers of the Qing Dynasty. It was then considered modern China. Therefore, the Qi-pao clothing would be modern and traditional. Today, most Han Chinese wear Western-style clothing in everyday life. Some urbanites wear modified or modernized traditional clothes. It is important to highlight the fact that there are still many areas in rural farmers that wear distinctive clothing. There is currently a movement in China and overseas Chinese communities to revive Han Chinese clothing in everyday life, and in the present day, there are many women who wear the Qi-Pao as a regular outfit. For men it is custom to wear Tang-Zhuang, but women also wear it sometimes. Even though it is not wear now as an everyday outfit, Tang-Zhuang can be used for formal social meetings and ceremonies. It used to be a symbol of education and power, but nowadays common people adapted it.

2. Types of clothes worn at work
Normally people who work at offices are required to wear suits with subtle and conservative colors. Women too, in addition, they do not normally wear skirts or clothes too revealing. People can wear jeans if allowed by employer, but normally businessmen and office culture are very conservative.
B. Housing
1. Types of housing available
In recent years apartment prices in China’s major metropolitan cities have increased a lot. There are several options, the most common option are standard apartments that vary a lot depending on price and luxury, the option go from studios to three room apartments. There are also services apartments, which are mainly designed for expatriates and the most expensive option, are the villas and townhouses, which are marketed to wealthy Chinese. A more affordable option is the capsule apartment, which are around 2-meter apartments. Normally, students and recent graduates opt to rent capsule apartments. Finally, many lower class people have the option to rent underground rooms, which are very small and uncomfortable.
For expatriates, the Chinese government put some restrictions regarding the housing options for certain groups of people such as diplomats and journalists. In contrast, immigrants have more housing options. In big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, foreigners tend to congregate in luxurious neighborhoods. For example, in Beijing, internationals normally live in the eastern part of the city. A popular Chinese real state website is www.5i5j.com, here people can find all types of housing options, from townhouses to apartments.
The trend in China is: The bigger the city the more options people have at a higher price, the smaller the city the less options people have for a cheaper price.
2. Do most people own or rent?
The Chinese middle class do not want to buy new apartments in major cities since its cost equals at least 10 years of their income on mortgages. Therefore, many middle class families live in the suburbs near to big cities, to save money. However, there are a lot of families who opt to ask for a loan, since there is a big anxiety in the Chinese middle class population to own a house. This is due social pressure and the fact that parents want buy a house before the price rises again, believing that with cost of having a child, it will be too hard to bear.
Even though, the majority of the population rents, since just the wealthy are able to afford the high house price without getting into any financial risks.
3. Do most people live in one family dwelling or with other families?
In China just the lower class people lives with other families. Even though, is not common, there are instances in where two families may share a dwelling. The middle class and high class normally do not share houses with other families. Moreover, lower class people tend to share dwellings in very small cities or in rural areas. In big cities there are cases but not that many.

A. Diet and nutrition
1. Meat and vegetable consumption
China is the world leading meat consumer, with a consumption of 71 million tons of meat. One of the reasons for this number is pork. Pork has shown to be China’s favorite meat, since it accounts three fourth of its meat consumption and at 476 million pigs live in China. It is so important for China, that the government created in 2007 a strategic pork reserve. The pork consumption for 2012 is expected to be of 52 million tons. The poultry industry is also growing in China; the government expects at least 13 million tons of chicken to be consumed in China this year. The fact that the industry is starting to become more industrialized has helped to raise chicken consumption. Beef is the least popular meat in China; 6 million tons are expected to be consumed in 2012. Since, China has the largest population in the world and those cattle is expensive to raise and fed up, the government was forced to use more effective and cheaper ways to supply meat. Finally fish is really important to China, their output is of 37 million tons and carp is the most popular specie.
Vegetables
2. Typical meals China’s typical meal is rice. They always eat rice and mix it with any type of meat or vegetables, however, many people enjoy eating plain rice. Normally, people who go to restaurants order rice and several side dishes (meat and vegetables) for an additional fee. Lower class orders from two to three side dishes for the whole group or family, middle class from 4 to 5 and high class a side dish for person. Noodles tend to be eaten at lunch time, and on dinner but not regularly. Pork is the cheapest and more popular of all meats, therefore it is the main meat consumed by lower classes, chicken, beef and fish are mostly consumed by upper classes, however pork tends to be the order winner among them too.
In addition, each region has its specific meals. There are several regional cousins in China. In the north thanks to seasonality, agriculture is possible. Corn and wheat are harvested every year. Some popular Beijing dishes are the Peking Duck and Jiaozi dumplings. Another traditional northern specialty is the Shaolin vegetarian cuisine. The south is known for its tropical temperatures, therefore a lot of rice and fruits are grown there. Most of its typical dishes are rice with fruits and vegetables, and decoration is a most for Cantonese cuisine. The eastern region of China, Jiangsu cuisine is based on fish and crustaceans and its food tends to be very fresh and delicate. The west region is characterized for its agriculture; varying crops are grown in this region. Hunan cuisine tends to be much spiced and it’s famous for its soups. One of the spiciest chilies of the world is grown in this region. http://www.kas.ku.edu/archived-site/chinese_food/regional_cuisine.html 3. Malnutrition rates
Health concerns have haunted China in the last decade. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension underweight and general malnutrition are prevalent in China.

China has the second largest number of underweight children worldwide, because around 125 million people live on about $1 a day. In addition, 20 % of rural children suffer from anemia. Hypertension is also common in China due to high levels of sodium in the food and diabetes 2 is affecting 8% of the rural population and over 12% of urban population. Overweight is a major concern, it is expected that by 2015 57% of men and 46% of women will be overweight, igniting the creation of Chinese fat camps. Around 100 million people are classified as obese; 5% to 10% of Chinese youth are obese. 8.1% of children in urban areas are obese; in contrast 3.1% of children in rural zones are obese.

For more health rates check exhibit.
4. Foods available
China is very vast; this allows them to grow a lot of their own food. Agriculture, fishing and livestock practices are very common. However, there are some staples and goods that are no easily find or affordable. Some kinds of fruit and wine are imported. Beef is also imported, since China does not specialize in its production, therefore meat is normally considered as a food for higher classes, since if you want high quality meat you buy meat brought internationally. Wine is in the same dimension too, it is considered a drink that just higher classes drink and can afford. In contrast, rice, corn, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, soybean and general grains and crops are common and affordable for the general population. However, the increase in demand for food has also come with an increase in price, which makes it hard for middle and lower class families to save money. Going to the supermarket is becoming more expensive every year and it won’t stop anytime soon. Since, Chinese are consuming more food every year.
F. Healthcare
China has an ambitious healthcare project for the future. In 2011 the government finished a three year plan that had as an investment an estimate of $123 billion to establish a universal healthcare system; at least 95% of the population is now insured. But, it does not stop there; the government expects that by 2020 all Chinese citizens should have access to basic health services. Nevertheless, that goal will be hard to achieve, since a lot of barriers will need to be passed. First of all, by 2020 healthcare spending is expected to rise to $1 trillion, something that could directly affect consumers, since of the high rate of coverage. Moreover, rural zones do not have the same healthcare infrastructure as urban areas. Drugs are not easily delivered and hospitals are hard to reach and lack quality. In addition, doctors are underpaid, forcing them to prescribe expensive drugs to patients, consequently, more than 40% of healthcare spending goes in medicines.
The funds come from a type of hybrid system. The money comes from single payer systems and private care. The system is still in development, kidney dialysis and MRIs are still unavailable, and costly hospitals are still not seem as useful since cheap clinics are enough in much of the cases. China’s main challenge to improve the healthcare system is to change the mentality of patients and to prevent the increase in chronic diseases the Chinese community is enduring in the present day.

References http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2012/06/11/chinas-healthcare-system-thrives-despite-slowing-economy, written by Robert Hahn and Peter Passell in June 11, 2012 http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/08/29/report-chinas-health-care-system-deeply-sick/, written by Laurie Burkitt in August 29, 2012. http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2010-2011/asia/china.html, written by The Social Security Office in 2010. http://www.china-mike.com/facts-about-china/facts-health-obesity-smoking/, written by China Mikes 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/china-food-inflation-driv_n_860490.html, written by Alexa Olesen in May 11, 2011.

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/meat.html, written by Lester Brown in April 24, 2012. http://www.internations.org/china-expats/guide/living-in-china-15403/expat-housing-in-china-2, written by InterNations in 2011. http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/china.htm, written by the Internation Business Center Organizations. http://www.justlanded.com/english/China/China-Guide/Housing-Rentals/Introduction, written by Justlanded.com. http://seeingredinchina.com/2011/12/20/malnutrition-over-nutrition-and-a-prosperous-china/, written by Tom in December 20, 2010. http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=1822&catid=11&subcatid=71, written by Jeffrey Hays in 2008. http://www.kas.ku.edu/archived-site/chinese_food/regional_cuisine.html, The Kansas Asian Scholars. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/popular-sports-in-china.html, written by Debopriya Boe in 2010. http://worldsavvy.org/monitor/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113&Itemid=176, written by The World Savy Monitor. http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/nutrition/chn_en.stm, written by The Agricultural and Consumer Protection Department. http://asia-extremo.foroactivo.com/t227-hanfu-vestimenta-tradicional-china, written by Noa Susuky in January 20, 2012. http://www.isfae.org/scientficjournal/2012/issue2/pdf/food/37.pdf, written by Jian-Ping Li and Zhou-Ping Shangguan in 2012.
Interview with Liangzhou Chen on Friday October 5, 2012.