This story is part of our Hukou Series.
Functioning as a kind of internal passport for Chinese citizens, the hukou system brings a lot of red tape for anyone looking to move to a new city, transfer jobs or access benefits like education or healthcare in a first-tier city. But just how restrictive is the little maroon book and what do young people today have to say about it? We asked six urban residents about the hukou, how it has affected their lives and whether or not they think the system is here to stay.
1. "I really don't know the difference between [hukou types].
“After returning from America, I have been working in Shenzhen for over half a year. I just moved my hukou from Wuhan to Shenzhen, because I can get a weekly Hong Kong travel visa. Graduates who study abroad can apply for hukous in top cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen. I guess an urban hukou is better than a rural one, though I don't really know the difference between the two.”
– Mia Long, 24
2. "Abolishing the hukou will bring uncertain problems."
“I have a Beijing hukou, which is comparably harder to get. But honestly, I don't think an urban hukou is necessarily better than a rural one – it depends on your specific situation. An urban hukou is good if you want to stay in Beijing and buy a car or house or get local education for your children. But a rural hukou, especially these days when land is so expensive, is becoming much more valuable as you can profit from new development. Considering China’s population, economy and environment, I think abolishing the hukou will bring uncertain problems.”
— Alfred Wang, 32
3. "I don't see any inconvenience."
“I have been living in Shenzhen for over 10 years. However, I’ve kept my rural hukou at my hometown. I don't see any inconvenience. I can still apply for a Hong Kong visa over the Internet or even via WeChat. And by keeping the rural hukou, I can get more benefits from the government.”
– Eva Wang, 30
4. "The only function... lies in my children's education."
“My husband is an ex-PLA soldier and had a chance to get a Shenzhen hukou years ago. But, back then, his mother told him not to move his hukou because he’s the only son and she hoped he would move back home.
"Now, the only function of a Shenzhen hukou for me lies in my children’s education. In Shenzhen, schools enroll children with a local hukou first and then consider migrants. My husband pulled some strings last year so we could get a local hukou for RMB50,000, but we decided against it because my children have scored well enough to attend a local high school and can apply for a Shenzhen hukou when they graduate from university.”
– Lin Jiejing, 35
5. "A Guangzhou hukou is not of much use for me now."
“I moved to Guangzhou in 1993 but we’ve never had a local hukou, so we had to pay RMB10,000 for my son to attend primary school here and RMB40,000 for his middle school. Unfortunately, he scored poorly on his high school entrance exam, so we had to send him back to our hometown of Shanwei, where his hukou is, for high school. A Guangzhou hukou is not of much use for me now – I’ve paid social security for more than five years, which means I’m allowed to buy a house [in Guangzhou].”
– Dai Kunhong, 45
6. "When you have an urban resident hukou, you're treated as a higher-class individual."
“I was born to a farmer in Shuangtang village, in east Guangdong. My impression is that when you have an urban resident hukou, you’re treated as a higher-class individual and when you have a farmer’s hukou, you’re treated as a lower-class person.”
– Guo Weipan, 34
Compiled by Tristin Zhang and Ziyi Yuan
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