As Migrant Populations Leave the Countryside: The Disappearing Sense of Community
“I always dreamed of living in the city, but now I feel like I no longer belong here,” Li said. “I used to know everyone in the village. Every day, I would sit on the steps outside my house and chat with my neighbors.” He looked wistful. “I miss the simplicity of my village and the sense of community I had there. I never realized how much I valued those things until they were taken away.”
The Chinese government-driven economic development program has had a widespread impact across the country, one of the most visible signs of which is the increase in population mobility. The government has developed a series of policies and measures to achieve its economic development goals, which have attracted large numbers of laborers to cities.
Li, a young man who was born in the countryside of Linyi, Shandong Province, and is now working in a factory in Shanghai. His story shows some challenges that the need to balance progress with preservation of rural communities. As China continues to modernize and develop, finding a way to preserve homes and a sense of community while embracing future opportunities is crucial. But what does this mean for the future of China’s rural communities?
Li grew up in a village surrounded by his family and familiar surroundings. However, the promise of a better life attracted him to the city where he found a job after completing his degree. But, as with any dream, reality soon set in.
“The government’s plan to lift farmers out of poverty through rural urbanization brought me to the city,” Li said. According to Wang Changjiang, an expert in China’s urbanization and author of the book “Research on China’s Urbanization,” “The Chinese government’s plan to promote rural urbanization aims to change the dual structure of urban and rural areas in China, eliminate the gap between farmers and urban residents, and achieve integrated urban-rural development. This plan includes the construction of new rural areas and small towns, as well as guiding farmers to move to cities for employment and residence.” “Everything was initially exciting,” his voice tinged with excitement, “Before coming to the city, I had never even been to a KTV.” Everything was new to him. However, his tone quickly turned melancholy, “Suddenly, an influx of people to the city caused a shortage of housing, and the cost of living skyrocketed. I became lost here, spending every day working and then returning to my 20 square meter rented apartment, spended most of my time on TikTok. I couldn’t even afford to buy a house.”
Li shared a story about a “friend” he made at work, whom Li told him about his personal life. “I trusted this friend and told him everything about my family and my problems,” he said. “But a few days later, the entire factory knew about my personal issues. I realized then that I couldn’t trust anyone in the city.”
Li found himself wavering from his initial dream of moving to the big city, and he began to feel uncertain about his future. The pressures of the city compared to rural life, including financial, social, and lifestyle differences, were a big shock to his life.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the number of rural residents in the country decreased from 55.76% in 2015 to 43.37% in 2020, and the average annual income of rural residents increased by 6.2%. While this indicates that the government’s efforts to lift farmers out of poverty are working, it also raises questions about the social impacts of urbanization.
Professor Liang Jianming, a sociology professor at Peking University, said, “Urbanization can indeed bring economic development and modernization, but in the implementation process, social factors must be considered. In the process of migrant workers leaving their hometowns for big cities, many people are losing their sense of community, leading to the emergence of psychological problems.”
Li’s experience is a prime example of this situation. Although the government’s urbanization policy got him a job in a big city and improved Li’s life, the more important things for Chinese people, the sense of home seemed to be slipping away for him.
“Now, I want to go back to my village, back to the people and things that make me feel warm and close,” Li said. “Now that I have earned some money here, I want to take this money back to my hometown and open a two-story small shop. The first floor will sell things, and the second floor will be where my family and I live.” Although Mr. Li’s disappointment with the city and longing for his hometown may not be the feeling of every rural resident, the emergence of this trend reflects the difficulties faced in the urbanization process. Governments need to consider how to balance modernization with the sense of community that rural residents have in cities to ensure a more balanced and sustainable urbanization process.
Professor Liang Jianming added, “The government should pay more attention to social factors to ensure that people achieve better balance between urban and rural areas. They should value rural communities, protect their values and the cultural climate of their communities, and then provide more opportunities and resources for rural residents.”
Although Mr. Li’s story has ended, his experience still reflects the real life and challenges of Chinese rural residents. While urbanization can bring more opportunities and possibilities for improving rural residents’ lives, the government should think about more alternative ways to develop rural areas economic. It must also balance and protect the community‘s feelings to ensure the sustainability and fairness of this process.
Works Cited:
Liang, J. (2016). Urbanization and social problems in China: A case study of Beijing. In S. Yin (Ed.), Chinese social problems (pp. 67–79). Springer.
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2021). China Statistical Yearbook 2021. China Statistics Press.
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “2020 Report on Chinese Rural Social and Economic Development.” 2021.
