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Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang province recently hosted a series of activities to mark the 140th of Ma Yinchu's birth, which falls on June 24.

A renowned economist, educator and demographer, Ma was born on June 24, 1882 in Pukou sub-district, Shengzhou, a county-level city in Shaoxing. The "New Population Theory" put forward by Ma in the 1950s had a profound impact on China's population growth and economic development.

As his hometown, Shaoxing has in recent years been promoting his works.

A research institute named after Ma is currently under construction in Shengzhou.

Hai Wen, president of the Ma Yinchu Research Institute, said a foundation will be set up by the institute to award domestic luminaries in fields of economics, demography and education.

In addition, Shaoxing has built a number of schools named after Ma and created a modern Yueju opera that tells of his story.

According to Sheng Yuechun, Party chief of Shaoxing, the local government has been actively promoting the coordination between population and economic and social development. In 2021, the city's urban-rural resident income ratio had fallen to 1.71.