After Work Or Study Abroad: Chinese Return Migration and Kunming's 'Jia Xiang Bao'

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

After Work Or Study Abroad: Chinese Return Migration and Kunming's 'Jia Xiang Bao' After Work or Study Abroad: Chinese Return Migration and Kunming’s ‘Jia Xiang Bao’ - Hometown Babies A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Seth E Werner IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frances Vavrus and Gerald W. Fry, Co-Advisers January 2012 © Seth E Werner 2012 i Acknowledgements I will start and finish these acknowledgements by expressing my appreciation and gratitude to my wife; Ann Meier. She has the distinction of appearing twice, once at the beginning and again at the end, because of the dual role that she has played in the production of my doctorate. I am quite fortunate in that she has, not only been supportive of my efforts, entitling her to the commonly found line in acknowledgments: “…without the love, support and understanding…” to be addressed later, but perhaps more importantly, she has been a role model of how to succeed in such an endeavor. Having earned both an undergraduate and a master‟s degree I had, of course, been exposed to people with a PhD. However, being a part of Ann‟s life as she progressed through her doctoral program provided me with not only insights as to how to be successful, but also ignited the intellectual curiosity within me that one needs to embark on such a journey. It is clear to me that, while there are many people that have helped me along the way to complete my doctorate, without Ann, it probably would never have gotten started. The list of people that have helped along the way, include people that are both formally and informally affiliated with my work. Those that are formally affiliated include people like my co-advisers: Fran Vavrus and Gerry Fry. They have both been instrumental in helping me to grow as a student and as a teacher. Their careful attention to my work and detailed feedback has improved my scholarship. Having taken classes from each of them, I have gained great pedagogical insights that have translated directly into my own teaching. I have adapted many activities and even teaching philosophies to my classrooms. I would also like to thank the other dissertation committee members: Yanjie Bian, Deanne Magnusson, and Amy Garrett-Dikkers for each of their unique contributions to my dissertation success. The Minnesota Population Center and their wonderful staff and affiliates were instrumental in helping me to conceptualize and frame my work. I greatly benefited from their technical assistance, data access and financial support through an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship. My classmates in the doctoral program have also provided great inspiration and support. Jessica Werner (no relation) - my sole cohort mate – kept me abreast of all need- to-know gossip and provided an avenue for stress and comic relief, and the occasional swap of class notes or reading summaries. As a scholar of a Chinese topic, I was very fortunate to have many native Chinese people in my program including: Li Yang, Cao Yi, Liu Ya. Each of them helped me to be better at studying the phenomenon by helping with issues related to language, culture, making introductions, recommending readings or even just hosting me and my family for dinner during my frequent visits to China. During the course of my field work, there were several people that helped facilitate my research. Some, simply by making me feel welcomed and others with direct support in the form of referrals and recommendations – A special thanks to Prof. Yu HeSheng at Tsinghua University and Cece and the whole Black Dragon Coffee Shop crowd in Dali, China. Naturally, the participants in my study were of paramount importance as they offered great insight into their lives and the decisions that they have made. ii Turing to the people that were not formally affiliated with my research, I would like to thank Sarah Tschida and Christine Anderson (both fellow CIDE students) and the Learning Abroad Center for their support of my Global Seminar programs which have helped me to remain globally engaged and China current. Turning to my family, my Mom deserves some special recognition as she, like Ann, is a role model of mine. If you want to know what „support‟ really looks like, contact my Mom. No matter what your goal, she will support you in your effort. Always setting her personal needs and wants aside, she makes her family her number one priority helping to ensure that success is within our grasp. Thanks Mom! Finally, returning to Ann and her well deserved “…without the love, support and understanding…” accolade. Ann has truly done both: shown me how and why to earn a doctorate and provided the love, support and understanding while I had done it. Our daughter Kiri (or An KaiLi, if you prefer) also deserves a nod of recognition as she too has provided her own contributions to the success of my doctorate. Born shortly after I began my doctoral program, she is really too young to fully appreciate our shared experiences with her, however I am not. Now that I am done with the final chapter of this dissertation I am excited about the next chapter of my life. Thanks to all of you that have made this possible. iii Abstract The process of migration has long been framed as a unidirectional process comprised of arrival, settlement, citizenship and assimilation motivated by economic necessities. This dissertation moves beyond these limited views and utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to explore the process of return migration of Chinese nationals to Kunming, China. By utilizing in-depth interviews and observation to explore the motivations of a specific group of returnees to Kunming, a rapidly changing city in China‟s developing western region, this study has identified three insights that can contribute to a better understating of the return migration process. The first two key findings – jia xiang bao „hometown babies‟ and the desire to be a „big fish in a little sea‟ – can motivate future policy decisions that seek to attract returnees. The third, unexpected finding – xiao xiong xin or „little ambition‟ of younger generations – acknowledges the perceived heterogeneity among returnees. Further research and policy efforts that recognize heterogeneity by age group and other potentially important but, as yet unstudied factors will be able to develop a more nuanced understanding of the ever larger and inevitably more diverse returnee population. iv Table of Contents Chapter (content) Page Number Acknowledgements i Abstract iii List of Tables v List of Figures vi Glossary of Chinese Emic Terms vii Chapter One: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Chinese Return Migration 1 Chapter Two: A Critical Review of Economic Migration Literature and an Introduction to Alternative Migration Concepts 38 Chapter Three: Research Site and Study Protocol 71 Chapter Four: Findings about Returnees to Kunming 88 Chapter Five: Revisiting Reasons for Return and Looking Ahead 139 References 151 Appendix 159 v List of Tables 1. Table 1: Participant Profiles 76 vi List of Figures 1. Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of Migration Decisions 3 2. Figure 2: Number of Returnees by Year 23 3. Figure 3: Chinese Immigrants in the U.S.A. 27 4. Figure 4. Sex Ratio of Chinese Immigrants in the U.S.A. 29 5. Figure 5: Lexis Diagram: China 1940 – 2010 58 6. Figure 6: Network Map of Participant Referrals 75 vii Glossary of Chinese Emic Terms balinghou – refers to people that were born in the 1980s guanxi – a concept similar to the western notion of relationships between people haidai – literally „seaweed,‟ but in the context of return migration it refers to a person that has returned to China, but is not viewed as being successful haigui - literally „sea turtle,‟ but in the context of return migration it refers to a person that has returned from overseas haiou - literally „seagull,‟ but in the context of return migration it refers to a person that is simultaneously living in China as well as overseas and is commuting back and forth. Often associated with a man that is conducting business in China and has a spouse and child living overseas. hukou – a Chinese household registration permit identifying the legal residence of a citizen jiaxiang bao – literally „hometown baby,‟ a person that has strong ties to a specific place. In the context of this dissertation, that place is Kunming. jiulinghou – refers to people that were born in the 1990s linglinghou – refers to people that were born in the 2000s mianzi – a concept similar to the western notion of „face‟ as in „to save face‟ ningwei jitou, buwei fengwei – it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix tubie – refers to Chinese citizens that have never left China for work or study XiBu DaKaiFa – Western Development Policy, a Chinese national level government policy that seeks to increase the development of the western region of China xiao xiong xin – a phrase used to describe a person as having little ambition 1 Chapter One: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Chinese Return Migration “Return migration is the great unwritten chapter in the history of migration.” -Russell King, Professor of Geography and Dean of the School of European Studies at the University of Sussex Introduction According to recently published statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), approximately 1.4 million Chinese students and scholars went abroad between 1978 and 2008. It is estimated that 390,000 have since returned, and, of these returnees, almost half have done so from 2005 to 2008 (Ministry of Education, 2010). While it is not unusual that some migrants would eventually return to China, the recent dramatic increase in the number of returnees is unprecedented.
Recommended publications
  • Organizational Evolution of China's Third-Front Enterprises Shows Obvious Punctuated Equilibrium
    Organizational Evolution of China’s Third-front Enterprises: Cases Study on Aosheng Group GUO Dong Thesis submitted as partial requirement for the conferral of Doctor of Management Supervisor: Professor Henriques Duarte, Assistant Professor, ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon Co-supervisor: Professor JING Runtian, Professor, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, School of Management and Economics May, 2013 - Spine – a’s Third-front Enterprises: GUO Dong Cases Study on Aosheng Group Organizational Evolution of Chin Organizational Evolution of China’s Third-front Enterprises: Cases Study on Aosheng Group GUO Dong Thesis submitted as partial requirement for the conferral of Doctor of Management Supervisor: Professor Henriques Duarte, Assistant Professor, ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon Co-supervisor: Professor JING Runtian, Professor, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, School of Management and Economics May, 2013 Declaration I declare that this thesis does not incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university and that to the best of my knowledge it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Signed Date _________________ Name: _____________ 作者申明 本人郑重申明:除了论文致谢中明确说明并致以谢意的部分外,所呈交的论文不 包含任何他人或作者本人已用于获得任何教育机构的学位和证书而使用过的材 料。同时尽我所知,除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外,本论文不包含任何其 他个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。 作者签名: 日期: 姓名(拼音) Abstract China's "Third-front" enterprises emerged in a specific historical period and specific institutional environment and played an important role in China's national defense construction and Chinese history. Due to changes in the world political and economic situations and domestic economic development, the development of Third-front companies face many challenges: support from central government have changed; they can’t depend only on government and military orders; need to face market-competition.
    [Show full text]
  • Mao's War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment In
    Reviews Mao’s War Against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China, by Judith Shapiro, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2001), xvii, 287 pp. Reviewed by Gregory A. Ruf, Associate Professor, Chinese Studies and Anthropology Stony Brook State University of New York In this engaging and informative book, Judith Shapiro takes a sharp, critical look at how development policies and practices under Mao influenced human relationships with the natural world, and considers some consequences of Maoist initiatives for the environment. Drawing on a variety of sources, both written and oral, she guides readers through an historical overview of major political and economic campaigns of the Maoist era, and their impact on human lives and the natural environment. This is a bold and challenging task, not least because such topics remain political sensitive today. Yet the perspective Shapiro offers is refreshing, while the problems she highlights are disturbing, with significant legacies. The political climate of revolutionary China was pervaded by hostile struggle against class enemies, foreign imperialists, Western capitalists, Soviet revisionists, and numerous other antagonists. Under Mao and the communists, “the notion was propagated that China would pick itself up after its long history of humiliation by imperialist powers, become self-reliant in the face of international isolation, and regain strength in the world” (p.6). Militarization was to be a vehicle through which Mao would attempt to forge a ‘New China.’ His period of rule was marked by a protracted series of mass mobilization campaigns, based around the fear of perceived threats, external or internal. Even nature, Shapiro argues, was portrayed in a combative and militaristic rhetoric as an obstacle or enemy to overcome.
    [Show full text]
  • Prepared by Textore, Inc. Peter Wood, David Yang, and Roger Cliff November 2020
    AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES CAPABILITIES AND DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA Prepared by TextOre, Inc. Peter Wood, David Yang, and Roger Cliff November 2020 Printed in the United States of America by the China Aerospace Studies Institute ISBN 9798574996270 To request additional copies, please direct inquiries to Director, China Aerospace Studies Institute, Air University, 55 Lemay Plaza, Montgomery, AL 36112 All photos licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, or under the Fair Use Doctrine under Section 107 of the Copyright Act for nonprofit educational and noncommercial use. All other graphics created by or for China Aerospace Studies Institute Cover art is "J-10 fighter jet takes off for patrol mission," China Military Online 9 October 2018. http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-10/09/content_9305984_3.htm E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.airuniversity.af.mil/CASI https://twitter.com/CASI_Research @CASI_Research https://www.facebook.com/CASI.Research.Org https://www.linkedin.com/company/11049011 Disclaimer The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Government or the Department of Defense. In accordance with Air Force Instruction 51-303, Intellectual Property, Patents, Patent Related Matters, Trademarks and Copyrights; this work is the property of the U.S. Government. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights Reproduction and printing is subject to the Copyright Act of 1976 and applicable treaties of the United States. This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This publication is provided for noncommercial use only.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 1: Rank of China's 338 Prefecture-Level Cities
    Appendix 1: Rank of China’s 338 Prefecture-Level Cities © The Author(s) 2018 149 Y. Zheng, K. Deng, State Failure and Distorted Urbanisation in Post-Mao’s China, 1993–2012, Palgrave Studies in Economic History, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92168-6 150 First-tier cities (4) Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen First-tier cities-to-be (15) Chengdu Hangzhou Wuhan Nanjing Chongqing Tianjin Suzhou苏州 Appendix Rank 1: of China’s 338 Prefecture-Level Cities Xi’an Changsha Shenyang Qingdao Zhengzhou Dalian Dongguan Ningbo Second-tier cities (30) Xiamen Fuzhou福州 Wuxi Hefei Kunming Harbin Jinan Foshan Changchun Wenzhou Shijiazhuang Nanning Changzhou Quanzhou Nanchang Guiyang Taiyuan Jinhua Zhuhai Huizhou Xuzhou Yantai Jiaxing Nantong Urumqi Shaoxing Zhongshan Taizhou Lanzhou Haikou Third-tier cities (70) Weifang Baoding Zhenjiang Yangzhou Guilin Tangshan Sanya Huhehot Langfang Luoyang Weihai Yangcheng Linyi Jiangmen Taizhou Zhangzhou Handan Jining Wuhu Zibo Yinchuan Liuzhou Mianyang Zhanjiang Anshan Huzhou Shantou Nanping Ganzhou Daqing Yichang Baotou Xianyang Qinhuangdao Lianyungang Zhuzhou Putian Jilin Huai’an Zhaoqing Ningde Hengyang Dandong Lijiang Jieyang Sanming Zhoushan Xiaogan Qiqihar Jiujiang Longyan Cangzhou Fushun Xiangyang Shangrao Yingkou Bengbu Lishui Yueyang Qingyuan Jingzhou Taian Quzhou Panjin Dongying Nanyang Ma’anshan Nanchong Xining Yanbian prefecture Fourth-tier cities (90) Leshan Xiangtan Zunyi Suqian Xinxiang Xinyang Chuzhou Jinzhou Chaozhou Huanggang Kaifeng Deyang Dezhou Meizhou Ordos Xingtai Maoming Jingdezhen Shaoguan
    [Show full text]
  • Country Profile
    Country profile COUNTRY FACTS China Capital Beijing Habitat for Humanity in China Main country facts Gained Habitat for Humanity China began operating in Yunnan province in independence 2002 and opened offices in neighboring Guangdong and Guangxi in 1949 provinces in 2004. Habitat provides simple, decent homes to low- income rural families in these regions. Chengdu, the Population Over 1.37 billion provincial capital of Sichuan, is the location of an office which was started to coordinate rebuilding work after the devastating Urbanization 57.9 percent May 2008 earthquake. In 2009, Habitat opened an office in the live in cities financial hub of Shanghai to raise awareness and create partnerships in the Yangzi delta area. Life expectancy 75.7 years The housing need in China Unemployment 4 percent China has an impressive record in reducing poverty. According to rate official data, the world’s most populous country lifted more than 790 million people out of poverty between 1981 and 2012. Rapid Population living 3.3 percent growth and urbanization and economic reforms have been central below poverty line to China’s poverty reduction in the past few decades. By 2020, six in 10 persons living in China will be urban dwellers. However, ------------------------------------------------------ inequality has increased and poverty has become concentrated in Source: World Factbook rural and minority areas, according to the World Bank. There are more than 70 million rural Chinese still living below the country’s poverty line of 2,300 yuan (over US$360) in annual income. Many HABITAT FACTS of the poor lack access to affordable housing, shut out by soaring land and house prices, and the inadequate supply of low-cost accommodation.
    [Show full text]
  • Impact Stories from the People's Republic of China: Partnership For
    Impact Stories from the People’s Republic of China Partnership for Prosperity Contents 2 Introduction Bridges Bring Boom 4 By Ian Gill The phenomenal 20% growth rate of Shanghai’s Pudong area is linked to new infrastructure— and plans exist to build a lot more. Road to Prosperity 8 By Ian Gill A four-lane highway makes traveling faster, cheaper, and safer—and brings new economic opportunities. On the Right Track 12 By Ian Gill A new railway and supporting roads have become a lifeline for one of the PRC’s poorest regions. Pioneering Project 16 By Ian Gill A model build–operate–transfer water project passes its crucial first test as the PRC encourages foreign-financed deals. Reviving a Historic Waterway 20 By Ian Gill Once smelly and black with pollution, a “grandmother” river is revived in Shanghai. From Waste to Energy 24 By Lei Kan Technology that can turn animal waste into gas is changing daily life for the better in rural PRC. From Pollution to Solution 28 By Lei Kan A project that captures and uses methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere during the mining process is set to become a model for thousands of coal mines across the PRC. Saving Sanjiang Wetlands 35 By Lei Kan A massive ecological preservation project is fighting to preserve the Sanjiang Plain wetlands, home to some of the richest biodiversity in the PRC . From Clean Water to Green Energy 38 By Lei Kan Two new hydropower plants in northwest PRC are providing clean, efficient energy to rural farming and herding families.
    [Show full text]
  • Guanzhou-Kunming-Chengdu Optical Fiber Cable Construction Project 5
    5 China Guanzhou-Kunming-Chengdu Optical Fiber Cable Construction Project A marker pole where optic cables were laid by this project (Sichuan Province) Outline of Loan Agreement Loan Amount / 5,349 million yen / 3,819 million yen Disbursed Amount Loan Agreement December 1996 Terms &Conditions Interest rate 2.3% p.a. Repayment period 30 years (Grace period 10 years) Final Disbursement June 2002 Date Project Outline Long-distance optic transmission network extending over Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province was con- structed, to accommodate the growing communication demand in these regions, as well as to improve the invest- ment environment in inland regions with a view to pro- moting economic development. Results and Evaluation Through this project, fiber optic cables (total length: 4,174km) and transmission facilities were constructed in three provinces and one ward, the total long distance switch capacity that was 770,000 lines in 1995 significant- ly grew to 1.6 million lines by 2001. Moreover, the num- ber of long-distance calls handled in the targeted regions, including mobile phones was estimated to be 14.6 billion (96% of the plan) in actual results of 2000. This project has provided a high quality communications service to a larger number of people than before through optic cables. In regard to the improvement of an environment suitable for investment in the targeted regions, it is generally rec- ognized that correlation exists between the conditions of communication infrastructures and expansion of invest- ments and economic development, and it is believed that this project has made some contributions toward industrial development, though there have been effects by third fac- tors outside the project.
    [Show full text]
  • Dissertation JIAN 2016 Final
    The Impact of Global English in Xinjiang, China: Linguistic Capital and Identity Negotiation among the Ethnic Minority and Han Chinese Students Ge Jian A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2016 Reading Committee: Laada Bilaniuk, Chair Ann Anagnost, Chair Stevan Harrell Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Anthropology © Copyright 2016 Ge Jian University of Washington Abstract The Impact of Global English in Xinjiang, China: Linguistic Capital and Identity Negotiation among the Ethnic Minority and Han Chinese Students Ge Jian Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Laada Bilaniuk Professor Ann Anagnost Department of Anthropology My dissertation is an ethnographic study of the language politics and practices of college- age English language learners in Xinjiang at the historical juncture of China’s capitalist development. In Xinjiang the international lingua franca English, the national official language Mandarin Chinese, and major Turkic languages such as Uyghur and Kazakh interact and compete for linguistic prestige in different social scenarios. The power relations between the Turkic languages, including the Uyghur language, and Mandarin Chinese is one in which minority languages are surrounded by a dominant state language supported through various institutions such as school and mass media. The much greater symbolic capital that the “legitimate language” Mandarin Chinese carries enables its native speakers to have easier access than the native Turkic speakers to jobs in the labor market. Therefore, many Uyghur parents face the dilemma of choosing between maintaining their cultural and linguistic identity and making their children more socioeconomically mobile. The entry of the global language English and the recent capitalist development in China has led to English education becoming market-oriented and commodified, which has further complicated the linguistic picture in Xinjiang.
    [Show full text]
  • Susan M. Walcott.Pmd
    Indian Journal of Economics & Business, Special Issue China & India (2006) : 1-... HIGH TECHNOLOGY CLUSTERS IN INDIA AND CHINA: DIVERGENT PATHS SUSAN M. WALCOTT Georgia State University, Atlanta and JAMES HEITZMAN University of California, Davis The economic giants of Asia, India and China, encourage clusters of high technology companies to fuel their national economic development drives, but the paths of these neighbors follow divergent trajectories due to different interconnections between government policy and business strategy. Based on field research, economic data and targeted case studies, this article explores the impact of regional political agency, technology infrastructure (unconnected versus integrated), the central government (hands-off versus highly involved), private capital (large versus negligible), and foreign direct investment. The picture emerging from each countrys profile allows assessment of short and long-term change for these urban clusters. 1. THE TECHNOPOLE AND ASIAN URBANIZATION A growing body of multi-disciplinary scholarship focuses on technopoles: dynamic clusters of research and production organizations generating rapid employment growth within innovative sectors, forming an important component of public policy. The technopole effect - encompassing spin-offs from co-located science or business parks, the segregated enclaves of privileged employees, attractive recreational amenities, and enabling infrastructure - produces a characteristic urban morphology within an emerging category of technology-based world cities. The transformed environments where the technopole effect occurs, often defined as corridors, signify a major component in urban policy that aims at the stimulation of services on the borders of former urban cores. A clear need exists for examining such spaces of human interaction, based on case studies of new urban developments offering possibilities for global application (Grant and Nijman 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • A Novel Decision Making Model of the Globalizing Consumer Behavior
    A NOVEL DECISION - MAKING MODEL OF THE GLOBALIZING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE MIDDLE - CLASS CONSUMERS WHO PURCHASE LUXURY GOODS FROM OVERSEAS MARKETS Presented by Yang Liu Southern New Hampshire University 2500 North River Road, Manchester, New Hampshire 03106, USA Dissertation Committee: Dr. Aysun Ficici, Chair Professor of International Business and Strategy Dr. Massood Samii Professor of International Business Dr. Tej Dhakar Professor of Management Science Dr. Ling Ling Wang Assistant Professor of International Business Worcester State University 1 Dedication I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my grandparents who raised me up and taught me perseverance. I would also like to dedicate my dissertation to my parents who encourage me to pursue this path, always support me, and teach me to be principled, ethical and intellectual. Finally, I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my friend, Wei Liu who through his giftedness accompanied me in the hard times during this journey. 3 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my Dissertation Committee Chair, Professor Aysun Ficici who has supported me from the very beginning of my doctoral journey. As my Dissertation Committee Chair, she guided me structurally both qualitatively and quantitatively through her deep knowledge in variety of subject areas, who also stayed with me after hours to work on my dissertation with me. She taught me how to be a good researcher, a good writer, and an academician. I would like to thank Professor Tej Dhakar for his valuable assistance in providing me feedback in my quantitative research. I would like to thank Professor Massood Samii for guiding me in the process and sharing his deep knowledge in the field of strategy.
    [Show full text]
  • China Mortgage Rates Declined for Sixth Consecutive Month
    Rong360 Jianpu Technology Inc. (NYSE:JT) Big Data Institute: China Mortgage Rates Declined For Sixth Consecutive Month Key Points ⚫ Mortgage rates have declined for sixth consecutive months, reaching its lowest level since 2018. ⚫ Mortgage rate adjustments among different cities vary greatly. While the mortgage rates have been slightly reduced in all first-tier cities, the situation in second-tier cities are different from one to another. ⚫ Beijing and Guangzhou were off the top 10 list of lowest mortgage rates, while Urumqi, Shenyang and Kunming joined in. ⚫ The downward trend of mortgage rates is coming to an end and in cities with a hot housing market, it may even start to rise. ⚫ The price of the real estate market remains stable. Mortgage Rates Have Declined For Sixth Consecutive Month, Reaching The Lowest Level Since 2018 The Trend of Average Mortgage Rate for First-home Loans in China Since 2018 6.50% 6.00% 5.60% 5.48% 5.43% 5.42% 5.50% 4.90% 5.00% 4.50% benchmark lending rate First home mortgage rate The Trend of Average Mortgage Rate for Second-home Loans in China Since 2018 7.00% 6.50% 5.96% 5.76% 5.81% 6.00% 5.74% 5.50% 4.90% 5.00% 4.50% benchmark lending rate The mortgage rate for second homes According to data analytics by Rong360 Jianpu Technology Inc.’s (NYSE: JT) Big Data Research Institute, the average mortgage rate for first-home loans in China was 5.42%, which is declined by 1.09%(6 basis point). The average mortgage rate for the second-home loan was 5.74%, which is 8 basis point lower than that of the previous month.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflections on 40 Years of China's Reforms
    Reflections on Forty Years of China’s Reforms Speech at the Fudan University’s Fanhai School of International Finance January 2018 Bert Hofman, World Bank1 This conference is the first of undoubtedly many that will commemorate China’s 40 years of reform and opening up. In December 2018, it will have been 40 years since Deng Xiaoping kicked off China’s reforms with his famous speech “Emancipate the mind, seeking truth from fact, and unite as one to face the future,” which concluded that year’s Central Economic Work Conference and set the stage for the 3rd Plenum of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The speech brilliantly used Mao Zedong’s own thoughts to depart from Maoism, rejected the “Two Whatevers” of Mao’s successor Hua Guofeng (“Whatever Mao said, whatever Mao did”), and triggered decades of reforms that would bring China where it is now—the second largest economy in the world, and one of the few countries in the world that will soon2 have made the journey from low income country to high income country. This 40th anniversary is a good time to reflect on China’s reforms. Understanding China’s reforms is of importance first and foremost for getting the historical record right, and this record is still shifting despite many volumes that have already been devoted to the topic. Understanding China’s past reforms and with it the basis for China’s success is also important for China’s future reforms—understanding the path traveled, the circumstances under which historical decisions were made and what their effects were on the course of China’s economy will inform decision makers on where to go next.
    [Show full text]