-Also on the social significance of the western development to the rational flow of population.
Luo yuda
(Department of Philosophy, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025)
About the author: Luo (1958-), male, from Zunyi, Guizhou, is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy of Guizhou University.
This paper describes and analyzes the scale, basic characteristics and trends of rural population mobility in China from the perspective of sociology. The Impact of Rural Population Mobility on China's Social Development: the social significance of implementing the strategy of developing the western region to promote the rational population mobility and realize the normal population distribution. It is believed that the phenomenon of "migrant workers' tide" is an inevitable phenomenon in the process of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in China, a manifestation of social civilization and progress, and an opportunity to solve the problems of agriculture and farmers in China. It can only be diverted, but not suppressed and blocked. The strategy of developing the western region provides great ideas and historic opportunities for solving the problems of agriculture and farmers in China.
Keywords: rural population mobility; Western development; Normal distribution of population
China Library Classification Number: C9 1 Document Identification Number: A Document Number:1000-5099 (2000) 05-0043-05.
The tide of population mobility in contemporary China is consistent with the process of reform, opening up and modernization in China. It started in the early 1980s, and then developed rapidly, showing an upward trend year by year. It formed a magnificent situation in the middle and late 1990 s, which had a far-reaching impact on China's economic and social development in many aspects. This is an inevitable phenomenon in the process of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in China, and it is also a manifestation of the progress of social civilization. It is of profound theoretical and practical significance to correctly understand the relationship between population mobility and economic and social development. This paper does not intend to interpret all social phenomena of population mobility, but only describes and analyzes the basic characteristics and trends of rural population mobility in China, its impact on China's social development, and the social significance of implementing the strategy of developing the western region to the rational flow and normal distribution of population.
First, the basic characteristics and trends of rural population mobility in China.
The population movement in China is mainly rural population movement. Driven by the reform and opening up, especially the socialist market economic mechanism, the vast rural population has flocked to cities from rural areas and moved from backward provinces to developed provinces. Most of the floating population in rural areas in China leave their original residence to seek new development space and opportunities, but they have not moved permanently.
What is the reason and strength that makes so many farmers leave their hometown and land to survive and develop?
In terms of domestic demand, the contradiction between China's rural population and land shortage makes a large number of rural surplus laborers eager to find new employment opportunities, liberate themselves from the land and seek new space for survival and development. Black land and yellow land can't bear the harsh reality of too many cultivators, which urges farmers to seek jobs in cities and coastal developed areas with relatively developed economy and more employment opportunities.
From the external environment, under the catalysis of the tide of market economy, the reform of urban labor and employment system has broken through the closed mode of urban and rural labor allocation, enabling enterprises to obtain the autonomy of recruitment, employment and wage distribution, and promoting the great development of farmers' employment in different places. The implementation of the household contract responsibility system enables farmers to freely control their own labor force. Coupled with the comparative benefits of farming and engaging in non-agricultural occupations, they yearn for the material and cultural life of cities and developed areas, prompting a new generation of farmers to bid farewell to traditional clan organizations and lifestyles, get rid of the shackles of land and join the tide of market economy.
It can be seen that the market economy is the driving force of rural population flow.
According to the analysis of relevant experts, in China 12? Of the 500 million people, more than 900 million are farmers, including 7? 900 million people live in vast rural areas, accounting for 88? 4%, and 1? 05 billion people in agricultural registered permanent residence live in towns. Seven o'clock? Of the 9.7 billion people, 5? 2.3 billion people, the remaining 2? 7.4 billion people are minors and the elderly who have lost their ability to work. Five o'clock? Of the 2.3 billion rural employed population, 4? More than 600 million people, and the remaining 60 million people are engaged in non-agricultural labor. 1 national 4? The 600 million agricultural labor force has only 65.438+0.4 billion mu of cultivated land, and there are some reserve land resources. Comprehensive analysis of the existing agricultural productivity level in China shows that these lands can be managed well with only 200 million labors at most. In recent years, with the development of rural township enterprises and other secondary and tertiary industries, 1? More than 1 100 million rural labor force. According to Wang Hongling, a postdoctoral fellow at Zhongnan University of Finance and Economics, the number of rural surplus labor in China is 1? 65.438+07 billion people. The surplus labor force of 265,438+billion has nothing to do, and the contradiction between population and land is still expanding with the continuous growth of population and the continuous reduction of cultivated land. In order to survive, they have to leave their homes and go out to find jobs and seek development. As the saying goes, man struggles upwards and water flows downwards. When the population and social mobility are likely to flow upward, when there is a big gap between the costs and benefits of farming, going out to work and doing business, people's strong desire to pursue a new way of survival and development can be aroused. The rural surplus labor force came out of the land, walked in twos and threes, went out to work for a living, flocked from rural areas to cities, and flocked from backward provinces to developed provinces, forming a special social phenomenon. Some people call this irresistible wave "blind flow", some people call it "migrant workers' tide", some people applaud it, and some people are worried. The author believes that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It is an inevitable phenomenon in the process of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in China, and it is the embodiment of social civilization and progress. It should not be contained, but should be guided and managed correctly.
Judging from the scale characteristics and trends of rural population mobility in China, according to the data, before 1985, the rural floating population in China was less than10 million, while 1986 increased to 30 million and 1988 increased to 50 million. The real "tide of migrant workers" rose in 65438. According to the sociologists Zheng Hangsheng and Hong Dayong's analysis and estimation of the number of farmers pouring into cities, there were 70 million people in 1990, 90 million people in 1992, and about 100 million people went out to look for jobs after 100 and poured into cities to make a living. The exact number of people cannot be accurately counted. According to the data of three macro surveys conducted by the research group of China Rural Population Information and Research Center and the Institute of Rural Development of China Academy of Social Sciences, Chen Jiyuan, Hu Biliang and Geng Dechang, the number of rural population floating almost reached 654.38 billion. The rural labor force, which accounts for more than 0/5% of the total rural population/kloc-,left the village where they were born for a short time or a long time, and the number is still increasing. A small number of them (about 10~20%) moved from their hometown to other rural areas to settle down; Most rural immigrants still flock to cities from rural areas, accounting for about 80~90%. Among the floating population in rural areas, 90% have changed from agriculture to non-agriculture. Roughly estimated, big cities absorbed 30%, small and medium-sized cities absorbed 40%, and towns only accommodated 20%. A high proportion of the flow is from underdeveloped northwest, southwest and central provinces to economically developed South China and East China. 88% of the floating population is between 18 and 40 years old, and about 50% of them have received junior high school education or above. four
In 1980s, the main way of rural labor force transfer between industries in China was to stay away from home, but in 1990s, the speed of rural labor force transfer to cities and from inland to coastal areas accelerated. In the 1980s, non-agricultural jobs were mainly employed in township enterprises, while construction and babysitting were the main jobs of farmers working in cities. By the 1990s, farmers had been engaged in hundreds of secondary and tertiary industries in cities. Farmers can be found everywhere in construction, transportation, post and telecommunications, commerce, catering, fishery, repair, life service and even industrial and mining enterprises. Migrant workers are engaged in more and more industries, such as carpentry, bricklayer, painter, purchasing, doing small business, weaving, driving, opening snack bars, reselling tickets, pedaling tricycles, towing flatbeds, selling tofu, selling vegetables, picking up junk, demolition, babysitting, playing tricks, playing cotton, popping popcorn, polishing shoes, repairing shoes, developing corridors, typing with computers and so on. In the cities of China, no matter where you go, strangers can be seen everywhere. Among them, migrant workers have always been the main force in the construction industry. Sichuan is the province with the largest export of labor services in China. 1993, the total number of migrant workers in Sichuan reached more than 100000, and the number of people who moved to all parts of the country reached more than 5.5 million, accounting for about 10% of the national migrant workers. They sent more than 5 billion yuan to their hometown that year, and their footprints were all over the country. It can be said that as long as there are floating population working, there are Sichuanese.
1995 national population survey 1% shows that Sichuan, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Guizhou are the top seven provinces with the largest pure emigration population, with a total ratio of 83? 2%, while Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Xinjiang and Liaoning are the six provinces (urban areas) with the largest population of pure immigrants, with a total ratio of 87? 4%。 This shows that the rural labor force for the purpose of obtaining higher economic income is the main component of the interregional floating population. However, according to the investigation and analysis, not all rural laborers in low-income areas can flow to high-income areas, because in addition to the attraction of regional income gap, the personal skills, quality, information sources and social relations of migrant workers are all important factors. In the process of rural population migration, most of them are introduced by family members, relatives, friends and villagers, or get information from them before they can migrate and flow. It is not blind, and migration to neighboring provinces and regions is often the first choice, which can not only save migration costs, but also reduce the psychological pressure brought about by changes in living environment. However, if your relatives, friends or villagers can make a living in distant cities, they can also go to distant places thousands of miles away. Therefore, at present, the characteristics of rural population mobility in China are mostly realized through the introduction and help of blood relationship or geographical relationship, while the economic income or expected income level between regions is only a necessary condition rather than a sufficient condition for mobility, and ultimately it is whether there are job opportunities and related work information sources that affect mobility. There are only two motives for farmers' mobility: one is to realize their desire to get rich, and the other is to change their social status and identity and realize upward social mobility. Although the reasons and trends of individual mobility vary widely, from the overall situation, the mobility trend of rural population in China is basically from low productivity to high productivity; From backward areas to advanced areas; From rural communities to urban communities; From poor mining areas and old mining areas to rich mining areas and new mining areas; From low wages and low treatment to high wages and high treatment areas. Judging from the basic trend of population flow between regions, there is a great difference in the economic development level between the central and western provinces and the coastal provinces in China, which leads to the basic trend of population flow from west to east and from north to south.
Second, the impact of rural population mobility in China on China's social development
Some people may say that the release of excessive rural surplus labor from the land is a heavy burden for China's economic and social development. Their low quality and vagrancy are detrimental to the face of urbanites, causing serious social problems such as traffic congestion, housing shortage, environmental pollution, social disorder and out-of-control family planning. However, the author believes that the rural floating population from black land and yellow land has effectively promoted the economic and social development of China, and has had many positive effects on the healthy development of China's modernization, which has more advantages than disadvantages.
First, judging from the inflow situation, the existence of a large number of migrant workers has provided abundant labor resources for China's industrialization, urbanization and modernization. From an economic point of view, the existence of a large number of migrant workers has prepared labor resources for the industrialization and modernization of cities and towns, accelerated the development of the labor market, established a flexible mechanism for the healthy development of the market economy, and especially provided conditions for the development of labor-intensive industries. As long as we pay close attention to it, after 20 years of reform and opening-up, foreign labor has increasingly become an indispensable labor force in the inflow areas. It is no exaggeration to say that if migrant workers are lost, major and medium-sized cities in China will be paralyzed, urban environmental sanitation will be neglected, and many construction sites will stop working; Most coastal township enterprises will close down; Shenzhen, the largest special economic zone, will become a dead city; Hong Kong bosses of a large number of "three to one supplement" enterprises in the Pearl River Delta have to pack their bags and go home; The life of urban residents will become very inconvenient. It can be seen that farmers who go out to work for survival are active in all fronts of the economic battlefield and become an indispensable and important force to promote China's modernization.
Secondly, as far as outflow areas are concerned, rural population mobility seeks new employment opportunities for rural surplus labor. On the one hand, it greatly relieves the employment pressure in rural areas, helps to realize the scale operation of agriculture and accelerates the pace of agricultural modernization in China. On the other hand, farmers who go out to work not only earn tickets, but also gain economic benefits. By working and doing things, they have received the education of modern civilization and the baptism of market economy in developed regions and cities, which has broadened their horizons and changed their values. There are many examples of the capital, technology, information, management experience and brand-new ideas brought back by migrant workers to their hometowns to promote rural economic development. Many farmers have realized the evolution from "part-time job" to management and from helper to boss in their years of work. Many families "go out alone and the whole family gets rid of poverty"; Some farmers are "one year in the soil, two years out, three years back to set up factories" and become peasant entrepreneurs. It can be seen that the self-significance and social significance of peasant mobility cannot be underestimated. According to some experts' estimates, the social wealth created by "migrant workers" alone is as high as 3 billion yuan every year. Farmers who go out to work all over the country earn more than 50 billion yuan a year. Only migrant workers in Sichuan Province send back about 5-6 billion yuan each year, of which 9 1% comes from foreign exchange in Sichuan Province. There are also more than 2 billion yuan sent back by migrant farmers in Guizhou. It can be seen that this is a considerable sum of money, which can be used to support the production and life of local rural areas. Farmers who go out to work are also messengers of civilization, advocates and demonstrators of new ideas and new lifestyles. Through them, urban civilization will gradually penetrate into the vast rural areas and quietly change the lives of farmers.
Thirdly, migrant workers in cities have effectively broken through the structure of urban-rural division, broken the rules and regulations of rational flow of talents and labor, promoted the professional competition of urban labor, and injected great thrust into the reform of urban economic system. Of course, farmers' going to cities to make a living has also brought certain psychological pressure to urban workers, especially laid-off workers. Generally speaking, the jobs chosen by migrant workers are bitter, dirty, tired or low-paid jobs that urban workers despise. However, with the development of market economy, the full development of market mechanism and labor market, and the further liberalization of urban employment system, the cultural quality and life skills of a new generation of migrant workers will also be improved. They will show their talents in more fields and compete with urban workers, which will promote the improvement of workers' quality. In this sense, rural population mobility is an important social force that can't be ignored in promoting China's economic and social development.
Fourth, the flow of rural population has promoted the development of urban-rural integration. The essence of China's modernization is the modernization of agriculture and farmers.
Without the modernization of agriculture and farmers, there would be no modernization of China. Solving the problems of agriculture and farmers is an important part of China's modernization, and the tide of migrant workers is a new development opportunity to solve the problems of farmers and rural areas in China. The tide of migrant workers is the awakening of farmers, which shows the challenge of China farmers to the dual economic structure and dual social structure, that is, the pattern of urban-rural isolation and inequality between the two worlds. The phenomenon of migrant workers' tide not only reflects the shortage of rural employment, but also reflects the lag of rural labor market construction. We should seize the opportunity given by history, take advantage of the situation, focus on the vast rural areas and the whole country, vigorously develop township enterprises and the rural tertiary industry, vigorously promote the construction of small towns, create more employment opportunities for farmers, realize the integration of urban and rural areas, and alleviate the population squeeze distribution caused by the flow of rural population to cities and eastern coastal areas. The implementation of the western development strategy provides a historic opportunity for China's modernization, solves the problems of agriculture and farmers in China, realizes the integration of urban and rural areas, promotes the rational flow of population and realizes the normal distribution of population.
Third, the social significance of implementing the strategy of developing the western region to promote the rational flow of population and realize the normal distribution of population
China is a city with a land area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a land area of 12? As a large developing country with a population of more than 500 million, the economic and social development in the east and the west is unbalanced and the population distribution is extremely unreasonable, which constitutes the basic national conditions of China. Implementing the development strategy of the central and western regions is of great social significance for realizing China's modernization, solving China's agricultural and peasant problems, realizing urban-rural integration, promoting the rational flow of population, realizing the normal distribution of population, and coordinating the economic and social development of the eastern and western regions.
From the perspective of solving the problems of agriculture and farmers in China, it is also a big idea and strategy. China's modernization is essentially a problem of agriculture and farmers, which is also the difficulty and focus of China's modernization. If the capitalist business model of western modern agriculture is completely moved to China, it is not in line with China's national conditions. China has a large population, mainly in rural areas, accounting for 80% of the national population. If large-scale mechanization and modern management of agriculture are carried out at once, the rural surplus labor released from the land will soar to 400-500 million. How to solve the employment of so many people? Therefore, we can only take the agricultural development road of gradually promoting intensive and scale operation. The development of the western region has opened up a vast world for ecological agriculture, multiple cropping agriculture, three-dimensional agriculture and diversified agriculture, and pointed out the direction for the development of western agriculture.
The focus of the western development is infrastructure construction and ecological environment construction, which will create more employment opportunities for rural surplus labor. All ministries and commissions have invested a lot of money and will support construction projects. In addition, with the support of national finance, credit and tax policies, the market allocation mechanism has attracted many domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to invest and develop in the western region. The construction investment in western 10 provinces and cities will open up broad employment opportunities for rural surplus labor force and open up new space for survival and development. In this way, it will change the direction of rural population flow in the west. Where there is investment, there is work and money, and migrant workers will flock there to make a living. Because doors can
Why go all the way to the east coast to make money? At that time, the rural floating population will flow between western provinces, and even farmers' construction teams and migrant workers in the central and eastern provinces of China will March to the west, and the pattern of high-level talents will change from "Peacock flying southeast" to "Peacock flying west", thus gradually alleviating the situation of migrant workers squeezing from west to east, realizing the ideal state of normal distribution of China population in the east and the central and western regions, and thus realizing the dynamic and balanced promotion of coordinated economic and social development in the eastern, central and western regions of China. Of course, this is a gradual process, depending on the degree of promotion of the strategy of developing the western region.
In a word, the tide of population movement in contemporary China, accompanied by the strength, process and strategic orientation of China's reform, opening up and modernization, has had many influences on China's economic and social development, which is an inevitable phenomenon in the process of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in China and a manifestation of social civilization and progress. Correctly understanding and handling the problem of rural population flow will play a positive role in China's modernization, and the implementation of the strategy of developing the western region will provide a historic opportunity to fundamentally solve the problems of agriculture and farmers in China.
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Editor in charge: Min Jun
The trend of population outflow from the country.
And its influence on social development.