Electricity in China-generation in the People´s Republic

Before the establishment of the People´s Republic, China was a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society plagued by foreign interventions and internal power struggles. It was against this background that the electrical industry went through its infancy. Today, the People´s Republic of China is facing an acute energy shortage, posing a problem which must be quickly overcome if the country´s rapid industrialisation is to continue as planned. The author presents a brief history of power generation in China from 1949 to 1983 and examines possibilities for the future