Reforming the Household Registration System: A Preliminary Glimpse of the Blue Chop Household Registration System in Shanghai and Shenzhen

Abstract

"For decades, the household registration system has functioned as a powerful device in halting rural influxes into Chinese cities. The exigencies of the reform call for reform of the hukou system [China's household registration]. One of the many attempts is the blue chop household registration system. Both Shanghai and Shenzhen have introduced this practice. In addition to promotion of real estate and investment, it creams off those more desirable migrants into the permanent population of the two cities. In view of the present situation of linking welfare provision with household registration status, this selective migration policy seems to be a sensible step forward."

The Elite, the Natives, and the Outsiders: Migration and Labor Market Segmentation in Urban China

“…Not only did the hukou system control rural-urban migration, it has in essence reinforced a dualistic system in China that has fostered a deep divide between the city and the countryside (Christiansen 1990;Cheng and Selden 1994;Cao 1995;Wong and Huen 1998). The system reflected the state's bias toward urbanites, to whom it pledged full responsibility in terms of food, housing, work, education, and all sorts of welfare entitlements.…”

“…While a new "pull" for labor is exerted by urban areas, the "push" from the countryside has always existed, and has been further exacerbated by the increasing magnitude of surplus agricultural labor due to improvements in agricultural productivity (Shen 1995;Shen and Spence 1995). 1 Since the 1980s, in response to the pull and push for labor, the state has created a variety of additions to the hukou system and new identity statuses that facilitate the "temporary" migration of peasants to work in urban areas (see, e.g., Wang 1997;Wong and Huen 1998;Chan and Zhang 1999). Most notable among them are the "self-supplied food grain hukou" ( zili kouliang hukou) in 1984, the "temporary residence permit" ( zanzhu zheng ) in 1985, and the increasing usage of the "identification card" ( shengfen zheng ) since the mid-1980s.…”

“…Another addition to the hukou system-the "blue stamp ( lanyin ) hukou"-was formally endorsed in 1992 and has become popular in large cities since the mid-and late 1990s. It aimed at attracting the most desirable elements of the migrant population by providing them with right of abode and certain welfare provisions in cities (Wang 1997;Wong and Huen 1998;Chan and Zhang 1999). The criteria for obtaining a blue stamp hukou include a large investment or home purchase and age, education, and skills.…”

Population adjustments in response to local demand shifts in China

“…Going to college has been a major channel increasing the probability of a favorable Hukou status. Other channels that increase this probability include serving in the military, being recruited by SOEs or the government ( Wu and Treiman,20 04;Fan,20 08 ), rural residents' lands being occupied by urban construction projects ( Wong and Huen, 1998 ), and rural households purchasing urban housing ( Deng and Gustafsson, 2006 ). 9 This is the case considering that non-coastal cities have a higher share of workers employed in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).…”

Defining migration and its health impact in China

“…The HRS was very successful in halting rural influxes into Chinese cities before 1980s. 2 Since the central government initiated the opening-up and economic reform strategies after 1978, unprecedented urbanization has marked the historic social, economic, environmental and demographic transition in People's Republic of China ('the mainland'). Unlike the downward trends of population mobility seen in most developed countries, 3 internal migration in China has accelerated since the 1980s.…”