The World - News from Dec. 4, 1987

Ration cards for pork, China’s most popular meat, have appeared in major cities for the first time since Deng Xiaoping, China’s top leader, restored the profit motive for farmers in 1979. The return of rationing in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin is a major embarrassment for the Beijing government, which has taken pride in its gains in agricultural production. The new regulations limit residents to one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pork a month. Farmers have limited hog production because the price of feed grains has risen steadily while the government has held down the price it pays for pork.