URBAN LEADERSHIP

Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China



Urbanization and Rural-Urban Migration in China

Introduction

China's urbanization and urban development have been heavily regulated and controlled by the State government leaders. It is observed that China had deliberately adopted a series of “anti-urbanization” policies measures to “economize” on urbanization without negatively affecting industrialization (Chan, 1989, p. 277). This could be identified form the following aspects: (1) In China rural-urban migration had been an area of heavy state control in the pre-reform era and active regulation at the present (Chan, 1999a, p. 426).

Unlike population registration systems in many other countries, the Chinese HUKOU (household registration) system was designated not only to provide population statistics and identify personal status, but also directly to regulate population distribution and serve many other important objectives desired by the state (Chan, 1999b, p. 822). Rural-urban migration is regulated by tight controls on employment opportunities, the household registration (HUKOU) system and rationing of grain and other products.

Rural industrialization policy has been actively adopted to limit rural to urban migration, which will be discussed more detailed later in the section.(3) Investments on urban development and infrastructure construction were primarily allocated by the higher level government leaders according to the national economic and industrial development planning.(4) The definitions on urban places and urban population were changed corresponding to government leaders policy priorities at different period.(5) The unique urban development policy focused on different treatments for different city sizes, rather than on urban management. By 1989, a unique policy to “tightly control the growth of large cities and actively promote the development of medium and small-sized cities” was enacted as Chinese urban development law. There were several reasons for carrying out such a policy for Chinese central government leaders: (1) The ideological barrier. As a socialist country led by the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese central government leaders pays great attention to its ultimate ideological target of eliminating three disparities (i.e., the disparities between industry and agriculture; urban and rural; and intellectual and labor) through comprehensive development. Thus by applying its unique urban policy, China attempts to achieve a more balanced regional urbanization in the country and to reduce the gap between urban and rural areas.

The excessively fast growth of large cities without the boom of small cities and rural areas, as seen in the most developing countries for the last decades, is obviously against China's ideological principles. (2) Concern of social stability. Social stability is always the prime concern of government leaders and in such a large country as China. By looking at the disadvantages of many big cities in other developing countries, such as increasing crime, squatters, and the lack of security, the Chinese government leaders is very cautious about relaxing the HUKOU system, especially for large cities. To them, the flood of rural migrants to big cities may have serious implications in terms of social stability.

The “rural labor tide” (MIN GONG CHAO) of the late 1980's in China remains in the mind of the government leaders providing ...