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China Migration
Internal
China has restricted internal movement in various ways.
Official efforts to limit free migration between villages and
cities began as early as 1952 with a series of measures designed to
prevent individuals without special permission from moving to
cities to take advantage of the generally higher living standards
there.
The party decreased migration to cities during the 1960s and
1970s for economic and political reasons
(see The Politics of Modernization
, ch. 11). In the early stages of the Cultural
Revolution, large numbers of urban youths were "sent down" to the
countryside for political and ideological reasons. Many relocated
youths were eventually permitted to return to the cities, and by
the mid-1980s most had done so
(see The Cultural Revolution Decade, 1966-76
, ch. 1).
The success of the agricultural reforms under Deng Xiaoping in
the late 1970s and early 1980s dramatically increased the food
supply in China's cities, making it possible for more people to
come in from rural areas and survive without food ration cards.
Because of the increased food supply, the authorities temporarily
relaxed the enforcement of migration restrictions. This relaxation,
however, was short-lived, and in May 1984 new measures strengthened
residence regulations and reinstated official control over internal
migration. Additionally, in March 1986 a draft revision of the 1957
migration regulations was presented to the Standing Committee of
the Sixth National People's Congress calling for stricter
population control policies.
Nonetheless, migration from rural areas to urban centers
continued. The problem of too-rapid urbanization was exacerbated by
the agricultural
responsibility system (see Glossary),
which forced
a reallocation of labor and left many agricultural workers
unemployed.
The central government attempted to control movement through
the household registration system and promote development of small
cities and towns, but within this system many people were still
able to migrate primarily for employment or educational purposes
(see Differentiation
, ch. 3). Leaving their place of official
registration for days, months, or even years, unemployed
agricultural workers found jobs in construction, housekeeping, or
commune-run shops or restaurants. This temporary mobility was
permitted by authorities because it simultaneously absorbed a large
amount of surplus rural labor, improved the economies of rural
areas, and satisfied urban requirements for service and other
workers. The most significant aspect of the temporary migration,
however, was that it was viewed as a possible initial step toward
the development of small, rural-oriented urban centers that could
bring employment and urban amenities to rural areas.
Although the temporary migration into the cities was seen as
beneficial, controlling it was a serious concern of the central
government. An April 1985 survey showed that the "floating" or
nonresident population in eight selected areas of Beijing was
662,000, or 12.5 percent of the total population. The survey also
showed that people entered or left Beijing 880,000 times a day. In
an effort to control this activity, neighborhood committees and
work units
(danwei--see Glossary)
were required to comply
with municipal regulations issued in January 1986. These
regulations stipulated that communities and work units keep records
on visitors, that those staying in Beijing for up to three days
must be registered, and that those planning to stay longer must
obtain temporary residence permits from local police stations.
Although some cities were crowded, other areas of China were
underpopulated. For example, China had little success populating
the frontier regions. As early as the 1950s, the government began
to organize and fund migration for land reclamation,
industrialization, and construction in the interior and frontier
regions. Land reclamation was carried out by state farms located
largely in Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang
Province. Large numbers of migrants were sent to such outlying
regions as Nei Monggol Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province to
work in factories and mines and to Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region
to develop agriculture and industry. In the late 1950s, and
especially in the 1960s, during the Cultural Revolution, many city
youths were sent to the frontier areas. Much of the resettled
population returned home, however, because of insufficient
government support, harsh climate, and a general inability to
adjust to life in the outlying regions. China's regional population
distribution was consequently as unbalanced in 1986 as it had been
in 1953. Nevertheless, efforts were still underway in 1987 to
encourage migration to the frontier regions.
Data as of July 1987
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