Move Odyssey in China: rural-urban migration and subsequent relocation in cities

Abstract

It may be a long series of wanderings or adventures filled with notable experiences and hardships that a rural person in current China migrates into urban area and attempts to relocate in it. Hukou conversion, family separation, and job opportunity become the three main barriers for rural migrants transform into urban citizen. Academic identification has verified there is full of risks for the expectations and consequences of residential mobility in China as to a rural family. An empirical exploration is necessary to examine the role of hukou conversion and marriage in the mechanism of residential mobility. However, lack of the most appropriate dataset, CHARLS dataset becomes the second-best. The empirical results reflect residential mobility dynamics in China have destroyed the original system of rural family. The waiting time of hukou conversion has exhaust youth and vigour of migrants. The regression analysis provides a further insight of economic variables including years prepared for moving within the county/city and years prepared for moving into the county/city. The subsequent discussion expands understanding millions of migrants' adverse situations, the positive and negative impact of multiple social forces on their lives. In the end, direction of future research is discussed.

Sustainable Rural Development in Northern China: Caught in a Vice between Poverty, Urban Attractions, and Migration

“…Han [84] conducted a regression analysis of economic variables, including years prepared for moving between rural and urban areas, and identified the hukou conversion, family separation, and job opportunity as the main barriers that prevent rural migrants from transforming into urban citizens. However, the study has demonstrated that rural migration is not only restricted by administrative regulations, since people continue migrating even under the hukou registration system.…”