Rural to urban migration is the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. People migrate based on various reasons and prevailing conditions. Migration affects people and families with social, economic and demographic characteristics. The movement of people from rural to urban areas is a common occurrence in China. This research looks into problems and the benefits related to rural to urban migration.
China is located in East Asia and borders fourteen countries. It is the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada. This country as an area of approximately 9.6 kilometres and a coastline of about 18,000 kilometres. The vast land of this country is occupied by plateaus, foothills, plains, basins and mountains.
According to a report by the China National Bureau of Statistics, about 44% of young rural to urban immigrants are employed in manufacturing industries compared to about 30% of the past generation. Rural to urban migration is viewed as a response to better employment opportunities and economic development. However, most of the immigrants are young and inexperienced in the agricultural sector as well as the city life. With this they end up facing a variety of challenges. Migrating after limited schooling causes the immigrants to face high pressure at work, poor wages, unsure self-identification and overall lack of happiness.
A a survey was conducted to task open ended questons on the motivation behind migration as well as the prmary and secondary easons. In the interview, each immigrant was asked for the reason why they first decided to leave the village. According to te responses,some migrated the hars economic conditions in the village wile some were pulled by the excitement of the city life. Being tired of schooling was a frequent answer to the primary reason of migrating. Mos of the interviewees said that theyhad little interst in scooland hence decided to seek employment in urban cities. A secondary reason for some interviewees was that they were unable to pay for schooling which pushed the to getting employment instead. Another reason for igration as highlighted by th erepondents was attending skills training schools to improve their knowledge and skils in computer, sewing,beat and construction. Most training schools cooperate to provide employment and educate rural students. Oter respondents mentioned their attraction to city life and broadcast ecspecially fromearlier imigrants who had returned to the village. They highlighted about their desire for lavis items and materials that were available to urban residents. However, a few of them shared a sentiment of waning to igrate for fun . They emphasized about their boredom in te village life and puruit fro parents.
In the same perspective, respondents were asked to explain their migration history and the reason for choosingteir desired locations in the urban areas. The responses from his was complex and consisted many noneconomic reasons. The major reason for shifting jobs was te unfair treatment by management,overworking and getting insufficient pay and a desire to learn new tecniques.
Tere are four social igration patterns that most imigrants follow based on their job hunting methods, educational attainment and social media usage. First tere is the carrer buiders who work independently in seeking jobs, have a high level of education and can quickly gather professional skills and knowledge during te igratio process. Additionally, they promote teir career development by tending to stay within te same business. They also remit a high frequency and are able to support most of their family’s financial burdens. Tis group is the core type because they are aware of te opportunities present to tem. They are the most efficient group as career managers. Tis makes tem be see as the potential elite group in China. Second, theres the family helper group who tend to live the hard life in the city because they send every cent back to their villages. Earning, remitting and saving oney is their main behaviour because economic motivation is the main reason of igration. Most immigrants of this group have stable jobs and usually migrate with someone they already know. They migrate to earn higher salaries and better working conditions. The Spring Festival in China which is usually on the 23rd of January every year is common to this group. A large number of migrants leave the cities to return back to villages. However, they are not the bread earners for their families but ofteny depend on the financial needs of the family at home. Those with heavy family needs tend to engage into illegal activities or may have more than one job so they can remit as much as posiible.
The other social immigrant pattern is the emotional explorers who migrate to urban areas for fun of enjoying the city life. Unlike the family helpers group, they seldomly remit funds tto their families back at home because most of their salaries are channelled into sustaining the urban lifestyle hey want. Emotional explorers change jobs randomly in te realm of either alleviating boredom or following friends. Fewer mirants fall into the category of the olost follower. Most of te peope in this category are likely to be too young to have fallen into the previous three patterns. They mostly follow relatives or friends when they migrate. They are usually unprepared , not knowledgeable enough to protect themselves. Since they are not under the umbrella of their friend and relatives, their journey may be dangerous. Migrants in this category may be illiterate enough to lack important documents. They also lack enough experience and may not have an idea of wat to do in case of trouble. They may be te reason for increased crimate rates in the city.
Rural to urban migration puts the local government of China into the pressure of responding to social services of the urban population.
Recently, there are more problrms associated with rural to urban migration in comparison to the benefits. First, Rural to urban migration in China has resulted to deterioration in the urban environment. . In tis case, the urban slums residentials for rural to urban migrants.For instance, Dhaka city contains more tan 3.4 million prople in 4996 slums. Overcrowding of people in these slums ave created pressure on physical and social insfrastructures It also results in low standards of living ecspecialy among te poor people.Te rural people are poorer compared to te urban residents. They put themselves in helpless conditions because they cannot afford the urban life. become the Nevertheless, environmental, political and social problems are te major significances created. The state of infrastructure in these slums is inadequate and unable to keep up with the growing pressure.
Shortage of housing facilities is a prevailing situation in the urban areas of China due to the rapid increase of rural to urban migrants. This results to te widespread of squatters and slums in cities. According to a population based report, most of Dhaka metropolitan are occupied by slum population. They are mostly developed in Demra ,Mirpur and Mohammadpur. These slums are mostly occupied by rural migrants who come to urban areas in search of jobs. Lack of better salaries compels them to live harsh conditions, leaving them without shelters pushing them to a point of living in the slums. Additionally, these slums are mostly single rooms for the whole family making the environment unhealthy and highly congested. Slum in Dhaka city are temporary structures and can be found on low lying areas on the edges of lakes, rivers, near railway lines or on roadsides. The situation for these slums indicates horrible living with poor ventilation and lighting.
Nevertheless, Rural to urban migration has a negative effect on agricultural production in China. Labour migration from rural to urban areas is the core transformation for Agriculture. Most of the high quality land that was use dfor cultivation has been turned into industrial areas.Migration of young labourers places a huge burdrn on farmers in the rural areas. For farmers to cover the same area of land, they tend to seek extra assistance ans sometimes work for longer hours. This deprives their time for relaxation and participation in other activities. Currently, the stage of agricultural development in China is labour intensive because most of the able-bodied men who should till the land have unrestrained their work in farms and engaged in urban employment opportunities.
Inspie the problems associated with rural to urban migration highlighted above, There are positive impacts related in the same. First, Rural to urban migration is the driving force of economic development and industrializatio in China. Migration affects the labour supply as it increases the number of workers in different sectors of the economy. In the same concept, migration increases the labour demand because migrants expand consumer demand for goods and services. Howevever, rural to urban migration increases competition for the available jobs in several occupational sectors. Additionally, migration also expands demand for labour thus creating new jobs. Migrants exoand the demand for consumer goods and services causing the employees to increase production in sectors where labour is used. However, it also depends with the levels of skills for the migrants. For instance, migration of skilled personnel may increase invention and innovation as well as the adoption of new technology.
Secondly, rural to urban migration has increased the cultural diversity of the Chinese people. The cultural diversity of the Chinese people has showcased itself in terms of the language, music, dance, cuisine, sculpture and more. Rural to urban migration has caused an evolvement in the Chinese culture in forms such as clothing, food, art and calligraphy. This internal migration has resulted into a rich magnificence such that many foreign people flock in China to view the incredible collection of art.
Third, rural to urban migration has positive educational impact on Children in China. Most developed schools are located in the urban areas. Herefore,Children in Middle school and universities move to these schools to attai better performance. These schools offer both curricular and inter-curricular programs unlike many schools in the urban areas. In the case of the Chinese students, they get to learn more foreign languages such as English and Spanish. Additionally, students with low learning skills enrol to extra curricular activities such as sporting. In this case, the career paths for mnay Chinese students become nurtured