The intended purpose of the First Five Year Plan was to transform China into a modern industrial power. For it's effect, The First Five Year Plan significantly shaped life in industrial urban centres. Quality of life improved, indicated by significant increases in life expectancy, housing and income – however, everyday life was also strictly controlled through the danwei, or work unit. The first downsides appeared towards the end of the First Five Year Plan, as the increasing demand to feed an expanding urban population intensified criticism and opposition to rural collectivization.
