Bradley Gardner, the author of China’s Great Migration: How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation, discussed how the largest migration in the planet affected China positively and negatively. He also reflected on his time spent in China; however, his knowledge was more centered around the migration rather than politics and other matters concerning China.
Before Gardner came, we had a debate/socratic seminar activity. I was in the group (A) that was pro-migration. Group B’s main points consisted of mentioning the shortcomings of the Chinese government's and how life in the big cities is not even that good compared to life in the rural areas of China. They also mention how the factories are not helping the environment and global warming. For example, how many children of migrants do not have access to good education thus putting them at a disadvantage compared to children from big cities. Gardner mentioned how the biggest benefit of the great migration is the money produced; he put a price tag of about $1.1 trillion. Furthermore, the hukou system, the system in which people and families are essentially bound to their area, is breaking down slowly as internal migration continues. In contrast, he mentioned that the internal migration is a “political headache,” indicating that the Chinese government is not in favor of it. The great migration also caused higher asset, housing, and school costs.
In response to Group B’s points and Gardner, the great migration is extremely beneficial for China. Any change will come at a cost like the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution and the great migration hold many common themes. People working in the factories in China still have to face inadequate conditions and work long hours, sometimes with little to no pay. There is no doubt that the conditions that the Chinese migrations have to endure are inhospitable, but when one does a cost-benefit analysis, the great migration will reap great benefits in the future. If China’s rural areas do not develop, then it will be essentially wasted land. When migrants work in factories producing iPhones and other gadgets, China is increasing its cash flow and importance. If China wants to continue to grow its economy and workforce, internal migration is needed despite all of the issues associated with it. Moreover, if China wants to be a global power, it should be supporting internal migration. The problems linked to urbanization are inevitable.
Although the issues concerning internal migration are left unsolved, with a greater budget, the Chinese government will be able to reduce the gap between China’s richest and poorest. Furthermore, if the Chinese government removes the hukou system, people will be able to freely move around. However, the migration can lead to ghost towns. Further, many Chinese citizens are opposed to migrants as they are seen as different classes of people. It is very hard to address these issues since China is the country with the most people living in it. It is not fair to say that China’s government is not doing much to solve these pressing issues since China has already tried to limit the amount of citizens with the One Child Policy. To address climate change, the Chinese government signed the Paris Agreement. Hopefully, one day, the Chinese government will find a way to give migrants and their families more opportunities with the money generated from the great migration.
- Madeline Wong
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