Surplus rural laborers and internal migration in China: Current status and future prospects

Asian Survey

Volumn 36, Issue 11, 1996, Pages 1122-1144

  Li, Cheng ^a,b  

^a HAMILTON COLLEGE   (United States)

^b Institute for Current World Affairs   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEVELOPING COUNTRY; LABOUR MIGRATION; LABOUR SURPLUS; MIGRATION; RURAL AREA; RURAL LABOUR;

CHINA;

EID: 0030404908     PISSN: 00044687     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1525/as.1996.36.11.01p0183y     Document Type: Article

References (66)

1. Jack A. Goldstone, "The Coming Chinese Collapse," Foreign Policy, no. 99 (Summer 1995), pp. 35-52.
2. Fei Xiaotong, "The Course of Development in China's Urban and Rural Areas," Social Sciences in China, no. 2, 1994, p. 76. Originally from Zhongguo shehui kexue [Social science in China], no. 1, 1993.
3. Fei Xiaotong, "The Course of Development in China's Urban and Rural Areas," Social Sciences in China, no. 2, 1994, p. 76. Originally from Zhongguo shehui kexue [Social science in China], no. 1, 1993.
4. Dorothy Solinger, "China's Transients and the State: A Form of Civil Society?" Politics & Society, 21:1 (March 1993), pp. 97-98.
5. Wang Shan, Disanzhi yanjing kan zhongguo [China through the third eye] (Hong Kong: Mingbao Press, 3rd edition, 1994), p. 35. Jiang Zemin, secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party, was reported to have endorsed the book, which had been banned earlier, and it was published both on the mainland and abroad and reprinted many times.
6. Xinmin Wanbao (Xinmin evening news), December 6, 1994, p. 3; Inter Press Service, December 26, 1995; and The Independent, December 7, 1995.
7. Xinmin Wanbao (Xinmin evening news), December 6, 1994, p. 3; Inter Press Service, December 26, 1995; and The Independent, December 7, 1995.
8. For example, Wen Lang Li and Ning Xu, "Socioeconomic Development, State Intervention and Urban Migration Patterns in China: 1982-1987," American Asian Review, 12:3 (Fall 1994), pp. 81-118. The article uses some mathematical measurements to test the equilibrium theory but the findings seem to restate the obvious: cities with better qualities of life tend to have greater increases in immigration and urban areas have a much higher net migration gain than rural areas. Some of the exceptions are presented in Lincoln H. Day and Ma Xia, eds., Migration and Urbanization in China (Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 1994), a collection of essays based on data derived from the 1986 large-scale survey of urban migration in China. Also Kam Wing Chan, "Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China since 1982: A New Baseline," Modern China, 20:3 (July 1994), pp. 243-81; and Harry Xiaoying Wu, "Rural to Urban Migration in the People's Republic of China," China Quarterly, no. 139 (September 1994), pp. 670-98.
9. For example, Wen Lang Li and Ning Xu, "Socioeconomic Development, State Intervention and Urban Migration Patterns in China: 1982-1987," American Asian Review, 12:3 (Fall 1994), pp. 81-118. The article uses some mathematical measurements to test the equilibrium theory but the findings seem to restate the obvious: cities with better qualities of life tend to have greater increases in immigration and urban areas have a much higher net migration gain than rural areas. Some of the exceptions are presented in Lincoln H. Day and Ma Xia, eds., Migration and Urbanization in China (Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 1994), a collection of essays based on data derived from the 1986 large-scale survey of urban migration in China. Also Kam Wing Chan, "Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China since 1982: A New Baseline," Modern China, 20:3 (July 1994), pp. 243-81; and Harry Xiaoying Wu, "Rural to Urban Migration in the People's Republic of China," China Quarterly, no. 139 (September 1994), pp. 670-98.
10. For example, Wen Lang Li and Ning Xu, "Socioeconomic Development, State Intervention and Urban Migration Patterns in China: 1982-1987," American Asian Review, 12:3 (Fall 1994), pp. 81-118. The article uses some mathematical measurements to test the equilibrium theory but the findings seem to restate the obvious: cities with better qualities of life tend to have greater increases in immigration and urban areas have a much higher net migration gain than rural areas. Some of the exceptions are presented in Lincoln H. Day and Ma Xia, eds., Migration and Urbanization in China (Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 1994), a collection of essays based on data derived from the 1986 large-scale survey of urban migration in China. Also Kam Wing Chan, "Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China since 1982: A New Baseline," Modern China, 20:3 (July 1994), pp. 243-81; and Harry Xiaoying Wu, "Rural to Urban Migration in the People's Republic of China," China Quarterly, no. 139 (September 1994), pp. 670-98.
11. For example, Wen Lang Li and Ning Xu, "Socioeconomic Development, State Intervention and Urban Migration Patterns in China: 1982-1987," American Asian Review, 12:3 (Fall 1994), pp. 81-118. The article uses some mathematical measurements to test the equilibrium theory but the findings seem to restate the obvious: cities with better qualities of life tend to have greater increases in immigration and urban areas have a much higher net migration gain than rural areas. Some of the exceptions are presented in Lincoln H. Day and Ma Xia, eds., Migration and Urbanization in China (Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 1994), a collection of essays based on data derived from the 1986 large-scale survey of urban migration in China. Also Kam Wing Chan, "Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China since 1982: A New Baseline," Modern China, 20:3 (July 1994), pp. 243-81; and Harry Xiaoying Wu, "Rural to Urban Migration in the People's Republic of China," China Quarterly, no. 139 (September 1994), pp. 670-98.
12. George P. Brown, "Arable Land Loss in Rural China: Policy and Implementation in Jiangsu Province," Asian Survey, October 1995, p. 922.
13. Li Debin, "The Characteristics of and Reasons for the Floating Population in Contemporary China," Social Sciences in China, no. 4, 1994, p. 70. Originally from Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological studies), no. 4, 1993. According to official statistics, per capita cultivable land dropped to 1.2 mu in 1995. People's Daily, January 28, 1995.
14. Li Debin, "The Characteristics of and Reasons for the Floating Population in Contemporary China," Social Sciences in China, no. 4, 1994, p. 70. Originally from Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological studies), no. 4, 1993. According to official statistics, per capita cultivable land dropped to 1.2 mu in 1995. People's Daily, January 28, 1995.
15. Li Debin, "The Characteristics of and Reasons for the Floating Population in Contemporary China," Social Sciences in China, no. 4, 1994, p. 70. Originally from Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological studies), no. 4, 1993. According to official statistics, per capita cultivable land dropped to 1.2 mu in 1995. People's Daily, January 28, 1995.
16. Jingbao Monthly (Mirror), no. 12, 1994, p. 35; also Marivic Bariga-Babiano, "Development and Destruction: China's Environmental Crisis," China Currents, 4, no. 1 (January-March 1993), p. 3.
17. Jingbao Monthly (Mirror), no. 12, 1994, p. 35; also Marivic Bariga-Babiano, "Development and Destruction: China's Environmental Crisis," China Currents, 4, no. 1 (January-March 1993), p. 3.
18. Qu Geping and Li Jinchang, Population and Environment in China, eds. (Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1994), p. 1.
19. Cheng Li, Rediscovering China: Dynamics and Dilemmas of Reform (Rowman & Little-field, forthcoming).
20. Hu Feng, "Dui dalu nongyi he nongchun wend zhi duantao" [An exploration of the rural economy of Mainland China], Zhonggong yanjiu (Studies of the Chinese Communist Parry), November 5, 1994, p. 45.
21. Chinese Rural Economy, April 1994, p. 8; and Rencai kaifa (Population development), no. 6, 1993, p. 7.
22. Chinese Rural Economy, April 1994, p. 8; and Rencai kaifa (Population development), no. 6, 1993, p. 7.
23. Baokan wenzhai, January 17, 1994, p. 1.
24. Mingbao (Hong Kong), February 21, 1994; and Jinji cankao bao (Economic reference news), September 14, 1993, p. 4.
25. Mingbao (Hong Kong), February 21, 1994; and Jinji cankao bao (Economic reference news), September 14, 1993, p. 4.
26. Jitfang ribao, November 23, 1993, p. 5.
27. Wenzhai Zhoubao (Digest weekly), December 19, 1994, p. 1.
28. James P. Sterba, "A Great Leap Where?" Wall Street Journal, December 10, 1993, p. R9.
29. Before 1992, the official dividing line between a getihu (individual business) and a siren qiye (private enterprise) was determined by the number of full-time personnel employed; when a business reached eight or more it became a private enterprise but more recently, a capital value of 500,000 yuan or more has become the criterion.
30. China Daily (Business weekly), May 22-28, 1994, p. 1, and August 31, 1994, p. 4. In Shengze, a town famous for silk production in Wujian County, two-thirds of the workers in the silk and cotton mills are from other regions (Chengshi guihua huikan [Journal of city planning], no. 4, 1994, p. 30).
31. China Daily (Business weekly), May 22-28, 1994, p. 1, and August 31, 1994, p. 4. In Shengze, a town famous for silk production in Wujian County, two-thirds of the workers in the silk and cotton mills are from other regions (Chengshi guihua huikan [Journal of city planning], no. 4, 1994, p. 30).
32. China Daily (Business weekly), May 22-28, 1994, p. 1, and August 31, 1994, p. 4. In Shengze, a town famous for silk production in Wujian County, two-thirds of the workers in the silk and cotton mills are from other regions (Chengshi guihua huikan [Journal of city planning], no. 4, 1994, p. 30).
33. Ching-kwan Lee, "Production Politics and Labour Identities: Migrant Workers in South China," China Review, 1995.
34. Zhongguo shibao zhoukan (China times weekly), January 16-22, 1994, p. 65.
35. Baokan wenzhai, May 23, 1994, p. 2. Some field studies by Chinese researchers report that the number of rural laborers out all year is in the range of 50-60 million. See Li Debin, "Dangdai zhongguo liudong renkou de leiht yu chengyin" [Distinguishing features and contributing factors of the floating population in modern China], Shehuixue yanjiu, no. 4, July 1993, p. 65.
36. Baokan wenzhai, May 23, 1994, p. 2. Some field studies by Chinese researchers report that the number of rural laborers out all year is in the range of 50-60 million. See Li Debin, "Dangdai zhongguo liudong renkou de leiht yu chengyin" [Distinguishing features and contributing factors of the floating population in modern China], Shehuixue yanjiu, no. 4, July 1993, p. 65.
37. Kam Wing Chan, "Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China since 1982: A New Baseline," Modern China, 20:3 (July 1994), p. 267.
38. One study found that about 10 million people joined "China's floating population" annually during the first three years of the 1990s. Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological studies), July 1993, p. 65. It is estimated by some Chinese demographers that the number of migrants nationwide topped 100 million in 1992 (China Population Today, July 1994, p. 12).
39. One study found that about 10 million people joined "China's floating population" annually during the first three years of the 1990s. Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological studies), July 1993, p. 65. It is estimated by some Chinese demographers that the number of migrants nationwide topped 100 million in 1992 (China Population Today, July 1994, p. 12).
40. Lee, "Production Politics and Labour Identities," p. 3.
41. United Press International, April 3, 1996.
42. Even during the rest of the year, China's rail transport system can meet only 40% to 60% of national demand. Zhou Zongmin, "China All Out to Ease Economic Bottlenecks," New China Quarterly, no. 30, December 1993, p. 9.
43. China Population Today, July 1994, p. 11; Judith Banister, China's Changing Population, (Stanford: Stanford university Press, 1987), p. 297.
44. China Population Today, July 1994, p. 11; Judith Banister, China's Changing Population, (Stanford: Stanford university Press, 1987), p. 297.
45. Zhongguo renkou nianjian (Yearbook of Chinese population), 1990, p. 553; and Shehuixue yanjiu, July 1993, p. 68.
46. Zhongguo renkou nianjian (Yearbook of Chinese population), 1990, p. 553; and Shehuixue yanjiu, July 1993, p. 68.
47. Shanghai Star, March 22, 1994, p. 2; and April 15, 1994, p. 1.
48. Shanghai Star, March 22, 1994, p. 2; and April 15, 1994, p. 1.
49. Qu Geping and Li Jinchang, Population and Environment in China, p. 1.
50. In May 1993 Sichuan authorities decided to build a highway and asked relatively poor peasants to help pay for construction - $5 to $10 per person. Outraged farmers attacked the tax office and local officials in a protest that lasted several weeks until the government cracked down. "The New China: Dynamism and Vulnerability," Pacific Review, 7:2, p. 155.
51. Baokan wenzhai, May 23, 1994, p. 2; United Press International, April 3, 1996.
52. Renkou yu jingji (Population and economy), no. 4, 1993, p. 37.
53. Jiefang Daily, March 27, 1994, p. 10.
54. Zhou Zugen, "Renkou qianyi liudong yu shengyu" [Migration and childbirth], in Jiushi niandai Shanghai renkou [Population in Shanghai in the 1990s], Mao Zonghuai, ed. (Shanghai: Statistical Press, 1992), pp. 178-88.
55. Dangdai (Contemporary), August 15, 1994, pp. 70-72.
56. Shehui (Society) August 1993, p. 39.
57. Zhang Shanyu, "Disici renkou pucha shengji qianyi shuju fenxi" [Data analysis of cross-province migration of the 4th census], Renkou yü jingji (Population and economy), no. 3, 1992, p. 13.
58. Not all scholars hold this perception. See James Lee, "Migration and Expansion in Chinese History," in Human Migration: Patterns and Policies, William H. McNeill and Ruth S. Adams, eds. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978), pp. 20-47.
59. Judith Banister, China's Changing Population, p. 336.
60. Jim Landers, "A Crisis in Motion," Dallas Morning News, February 6, 1995, p. 8A.
61. Zhongguo xiangzhen qiye (China's rural enterprises), no. 11 (1987), p. 10.
62. Weishi, no. 8 (1993), p. 6.
63. Juece tansuo (A study of strategy), no. 7 (1993), p. 26.
64. Zuang Jian "Zhongguo disan chanye defazhan yä wenti" [The status and problems of the development of China's tertiary industry], Zhongguo disan chanyi nienjian [Almanac of China's tertiary industry] (Beijing), 1993, p. 969.
65. Ibid.
66. Guang Hua Wan, "Peasant Rood in China: Internal Migration and Its Policy Determinants," Third World Quarterly, 16:2 (June 1995), p. 194.