The peasants were subjected to the oppression and exploitation of the capitalist and feudal forces in the urban and rural areas, coupled with the impact of the Yellow River flooding, the land was seriously sandy, the farming technology was extremely backward, lack of ability to resist natural disasters, and could only rely on the sky to eat. On the eve of the liberation of Kaifeng, the average yield of grain in the suburbs of counties belonging to Kaifeng City was only 48 kilograms per mu, the average yield of cotton was 10.5 kilograms per mu, and the average yield of oilseed was 36 kilograms per mu. Farmers busy all year round, sweat beads fall eight petals can not eat and wear warm.
Kaifeng on the eve of liberation, the city's municipal facilities are very simple. More than 350 streets in the city, paved roads only 15.2 kilometers, 17.17 kilometers of sewers, lighting street lamps 800. The houses in the city were dilapidated, and the places of interest were seriously destroyed. City residents drink well water and light kerosene lamps. The city lacks green and trees, wind and sand, sunny days full of dirt, rainy days full of mud in the street.
The development of health care is slow, there are only four public hospitals, two church hospitals and 10 small private hospitals, **** 631 beds, all kinds of health professionals only 500 people. Most hospitals are poorly equipped, and medical standards are generally low. The general public lack of medicine, coupled with the poor living environment, epidemics. Kaifeng city people's average life expectancy of only 36 years (1948 survey).
After the founding of the country for quite a long time, due to the shortage of materials, supply tension, food, cotton, oil, cloth, coal and many other things have to rely on the "ticket" supply. By the end of 1993, the city stopped the circulation and use of food stamps in urban areas, the abolition of food stamps and cooking oil national rationing methods, marking the end of the ticket system for urban residents for many years. For a long time as a measure of people's standard of living, bicycles, watches, sewing machines, radios and other "three turns and a sound" in the residents' homes have been popularized as home theaters, home computers, air conditioners, microwave ovens, and even many families have bought small cars. Cell phones have become so popular that even school children are using them. People's living conditions are not comparable to the previous unit supporting housing through the natural gas, geothermal water and centralized heating and other ancillary facilities.