PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF MIGRATION IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA BY ZHENG ZIZHEN A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Demography at the Australian National University Canberra December 1988 DECLARATION Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work. Zheng Zizhen December 1988 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis was written while I was studying at the Australian National University on a UNFPA scholarship. I am deeply grateful to the United Nations for the scholarship which enabled me to complete this study. The completion of this study depended on the assistance of many people acting in both official and unofficial capacities, however, it is only possible for me to acknowledge a very few of these by name. I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. David Lucas, and my adviser, Dr. Lado Ruzicka, for their invaluable advice, guidance and their readiness to discuss matters with patience. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Alan Gray, Dr. Huw Jones, Dr. Lorraine Corner, and Ms. Chris McMurray for their kind and useful suggestions. Thanks should go to Ms. Marian May for her helpful teaching on English. I am also grateful to Ms. Carol Mehkek and Ms. Josephine Roper for their secretarial assistance. Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to my wife Wang Ya for her support and perseverance. iii ABSTRACT The present study look at migration in Guangdong Province, and is largely based on the Guangdong Province data of the 1986 Migration Survey of Cities and Towns in China which was the first large-scale survey of this type carried out in the country. This study attempts to examine the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of in-migrants in Guangdong Province; to assess the factors that affect the decision to migrate; and to analyse the patterns and trends of migration and urbanization in Guangdong Province. This thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 provides the general background of the study. Chapter 2 presents a review of the literature on migration. Chapter 3 examines the age, sex, marital status and education of in-migrants in Guangdong Province. Chapter 4 analyses the determinants of migration in Guangdong Province. Chapter 5 analyses the patterns of migration and urbanization in Guangdong Province. Chapter 6 analyses the trends of migration and urbanization in Guangdong Province, and provides conclusions about the characteristics of in­ migrants and about the patterns and trends of migration and urbanization in Guangdong Province. CONTENTS Page DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 OBJECTIVES 1 1.2 MIGRATION PATTERNS AND POLICIES IN CHINA 2 1.3 THE STUDY AREAS 4 1.3.1 Classification of Cities 4 1.3.2 Guangdong Province 4 1.3.3 Guangzhou City 7 1.3.4 Zhaoqing City 8 1.3.5 Zhuhai City 8 1.3.6 Deqing Town 8 1.4 SOURCES OF DATA 9 1.4.1 Household Registration System in China 9 1.4.2 1986 Migration Survey of Cities and Towns in China 10 1.4.3 Registration Data 14 CHAPTER 2 A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON MIGRATION 15 2.1 DEFINITION OF MIGRATION 15 2.2 TYPES OF MIGRATION 17 2.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF MIGRANTS 18 2.4 REASONS FOR MIGRATION 20 2.5 DEBATE ON URBANIZATION 24 CHAPTER 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF IN-MIGRANTS 27 3.1 AGE-SEX COMPOSITION 28 3.1.1 Age Distribution of In-migrants 28 3.1.2 Theoretical Explanation for Age Distribution of In-migrants 32 V 3.1.3 Sex Ratio of In-migrants 35 3.2 MARITAL STATUS OF IN-MIGRANTS 39 3.3 EDUCATION LEVEL OF IN-MIGRANTS 48 3.4 CONCLUSIONS 53 CHAPTER 4 REASONS FOR MIGRATION 56 4.1 CLASSIFICATION OF REASONS FOR MIGRATION 56 4.2 POLITICAL MIGRATION 58 4.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF MIGRATION 59 4.3.1 Work Related 64 4.3.2 Family and Relative Related 69 4.4 CONCLUSION 75 CHAPTER 5 PATTERNS OF MIGRATION AND URBANIZATION IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE 78 5.1 PATTERNS OF MIGRATION IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE 78 5.1.1 Rural-Urban Migration 78 5.1.2 Urban-Urban Migration 81 5.1.3 Rural-Rural Migration 82 5.1.4 International Emigration 83 5.2 RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF TOWNS AND SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE 84 CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 87 6.1 SUMMARY 87 6.2 SOME MAIN FINDINGS 88 6.2.1 Characteristics of In-migrants 88 6.2.2 Determinants of Migration 90 6.2.3 Patterns of Migration and Urbanization in Guangdong 91 6.3 TRENDS OF MIGRATION AND URBANIZATION IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE 92 6.4 POLICY IMPLICATIONS 95 REFERENCES 97 APPENDIX I Questionnaire of Population Migration 105 of Cities and Towns vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 Sample Size and Status of the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong Province ............. 12 3.1 Sex Ratio (M/F) of In-migrants in Guangdong in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong .. 36 3.2 Marital Status and Age of In-migrants at the Time of Migration ........................ 40 3.3 Marital Status and Years of Arrival of In-migrants at the Time of Migration .... 42 3.4 Marital Status and Area of Origin of In-migrants at the Time of Migration .... 43 3.5 Sex Ratio (M/F) by Marital Status and Age of In-migrants at the Time of Migration .. 44 3.6 Sex Ratio (M/F) by Marital Status and Years of Arrival of In-migrants at the Time of Migration .............................. 46 3.7 Sex Ratio (M/F) by Marital Status and Area of Origin of In-migrants at the Time of Migration .............................. 47 3.8 Education Levels of In-migrants and Non-migrants Aged 6 Years and Above .... 49 3.9 Education Level and Years of Arrival of In-migrants Aged 6 Years and Above ...... 50 3.10 Education Level and Area of Origin of In-migrants Aged 6 Years and Above ...... 51 4.1 Age of In-migrants at Migration and Reason for Migration in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong ........................... 57 4.2 Comparisons Before and After In-migration in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong According to Years of Migration .................. 60 4.3 Comparisons Before and After In-migration in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong According to In-migrant’s Age at the Time of Migration .............................. 61 vii 4.4 Comparisons Before and After In-migration in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong According to In-migrant’s Education Level at the Time of Migration ........................... 62 4.5 Education Level of In-migrants in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong According to Reason Categories Related to Work ...... 63 4.6 Area of Origin of In-migrants in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in Reason Category ’’Transfer of work” ...................... 65 4.7 Education Levels of In-migrants in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong According to Reason Categories Related to Family or Relatives ............................. 70 4.8 Area of Origin of In-migrants in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in Reason Category ’’Accompanying or joining spouses, parents, or families” ........................... 72 4.9 Area of Origin of In-migrants in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in Reason Category ’’Going to live with relatives” .......... 73 4.10 Area of Origin of In-migrants in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in Reason Category "Marriage Migration" ................... 74 5.1 Urban Population in Guangdong 1953-1986 .. 79 5.2 Area of Origin of In-migrants in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong ................... 80 5.3 In-migrants Arriving 1976-1986 in Four Cities and Towns in Guangdong in the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong .......... 81 5.4 Number of Cities and Towns in Guangdong Province 1953-1986 85 vi ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Map of Guangdong Province ............. 5 3.1 Age Distribution of In-migrants (Guangdong Province, cities) ...................... 29 3.2 Age Distribution of In-migrants (China, cities) ................................. 31 3.3 Age Distribution of In-migrants (Guangdong Province, male and female) .............. 37 i CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 OBJECTIVES Migration and urbanization have been rarely involved in demographic research in China. Along with the "open to the world" policy and the intensive development of the Chinese economic reforms, population migration and urbanization have become an important problem which must be researched and solved. Guangdong Province, as a coastal province, has experienced substantial migration. Since 1979, as the pioneer area in the Chinese economic reforms, Guangdong’s population movement has entered a new active stage. The population of cities and towns has expanded rapidly, and the number of cities and towns has increased remarkably. These processes have influenced the social and economic development in Guangdong. However,compared with other demographic research areas in China, much less attention has been paid to migration research, and much less information has been obtained about migration. This situation may result in the loss of control and in poor planning in migration and urbanization in Guangdong. The 1986 Migration Survey of Cities and Towns in China (the 1986 Migration Survey in China),the First large-scale population migration survey in China, provides useful information for understanding the nature and the patterns of migration, and for studying the problem of the Chinese population distribution and urbanization. For Guangdong Province, this study has an important and special significance. The present study only looks at migration of Guangdong Province, and is largely based on the Guangdong Province part of the 1986 2 Migration Survey in China (the 1986 Migration Survey in Guangdong) The objectives of this thesis are: 1.