Inclusion without abolition in China’s hukou system
China's State Council has issued new guidelines aimed at providing public services to residents regardless of their hukou status, particularly in megacities. This move seeks to integrate rural migrants into urban social systems, addressing long-standing disparities in access to education and healthcare.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in China's social control and urbanization policy, potentially improving the lives of millions of internal migrants.
China’s State Council, on May 22, issued guidelines to ‘promote basic public services at people’s place of residence,’ regardless of hukou , or residence registration status. These guidelines direct local governments — more specifically, megacity administrations — to improve and enhance their delivery measures in the domains of education, public rental housing, social and medical insurance, and a range of social assistance measures for the entire resident population within their administrative jurisdictions. The aim is to resolve the ‘last mile’ problem in fully integrating rural migrants into megacities.
The article provides an objective historical and policy analysis of the hukou system and recent government reforms.
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