The Chinese will live and study longer, consume far less energy and spend a much smaller proportion of income on food.

That is the scenario for 2050 painted by Outline for China's Sustainable Development. The 20-volume series consists of research reports, analysis and predictions made by 184 senior scientists, sociologists and policy researchers mainly from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

According to the study, published recently by Beijing-based Science Press, average life expectancy will reach 85 by 2050. The figure currently is 71.8.