Comparative Study on Human Activity Systems in Japanese and Chinese Cities from the TimeGeography View

本研究旨在从时间地理的角度对日本和中国城市的人类活动系统进行比较分析。我们在分析过程中采用了两种方法。首先，我们根据调查人员和国内同行收集的现有数据对统计材料进行了分析。其次，我们走访了开展活动调查的中国城市，对学者、政府机构和各类福利机构进行了采访，涉及人们的就业、消费、托幼、养老等问题。因此，澄清了以下几点。1)与日本城市相比，中国城市男性和女性在日常活动特征上的差异较小。在这两个国家，人类生活中的性别状况似乎大不相同。2)中国城市活动空间的地域性特征与日本城市不同。3)中国城市中女性的交通行为与男性非常相似，城市交通系统还没有完全发展起来。4)人们在中国城市的生活基本上是建立在由政府机构或私营公司运作的“单位制”基础上的。5)然而，“居委会”在老年人的支持中也扮演着重要的角色。(6)近年来，住房、女性劳动和养老等方面的社会保障制度正在迅速从以“单位”为基础的旧制度向以市场为导向的新制度转变。在中国的城市里，许多来自农村边缘地区的年轻女性从事家务服务，包括儿童保育，工资相对较低。这些廉价服务的存在与中国城市家庭主妇的高就业率有着密切的关系。

This study aims to carry out a comparative analysis on human activity systems in Japanese and Chinese cities from the time-geographical view. We took two methods in the analysis process. First, we analyzed the statistical materials based on the existing data collected by the investigators and the counterpart in China. Second, we visited the Chinese cities in which the activity surveys had been carried out, and made some interviews for scholars, governmental organizations and various facilities for welfare concerning people's employment, consuming, childcare, eldercare and so on. As the result, following point were clarified.1) The difference between male and female in the characteristics of daily activities is less in Chinese cities compared with Japanese cities. The conditions of gender in human life are seemed to be considerably dissimilar in the two countries.2) The territorial characteristics of activity spaces in Chinese cities vary from Japanese cities.3) Female's transportation behavior is quit similar with male's in Chinese cities, where urban transportation systems have not been fully developed yet.4) People's life in China cities are essentially based on the "unit system" operated by governmental organizations or by private companies.5) However, "residential area committees" fill also significant role of the support of elders.6) Recently, social security systems on the aspects of housing, female labor and pension are rapidly changing from the old systems based on the "unit" to new market-oriented systems.7) In Chinese cities, numerous young females coming from peripheral rural areas in the country work at housework services including childcare for relatively low wages. The existence of these cheap services are deeply relate to the high employment rate of housewives in China cities.