Internal migration in China

Abstract

This chapter explores the Chinese migration reveals certain characteristics that postulated by mainstream internal and international migration theories. It reviews the central components that Chinese migration systems and statistics. One of the major consequences of the economic reforms in China has been a dramatic rise in population mobility, especially to urban centres. The hukou system and the lack of systematic attention in China to migration that occurs outside the hukou system further complicate the question of defining the concept of 'migrant' in China as we understand it internationally. In spite of all publicity about rural migrant workers, hukou migration continues to major and stable component in Chinese migration, although it admittedly decreases in relative importance compared to non-hukou migration. Guangdong and Sichuan were the two provinces with both the largest intra-provincial migration and the largest inter-provincial migration, except that these two provinces were at the opposite ends of internal migration flows: Guangdong was largest recipient while Sichuan was biggest sender.