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