Jason’s parents understood this. His mother’s family had been moved as part of a great migration in the '50s and '60s during the Cultural Revolution, when Mao insisted city people experience life in the country. They were transferred from the 1st-tier city of Beijing to the “village across the river"--and were never able to move back. So, Jason's mother had watched the ebb and flow of life, and she understood how location affected people’s futures. She didn’t want that future for her only child. (At that time, the “one-child policy" was in full swing.)
“My parents are not so highly educated—they only had a high school education-- but they have a really clear mindset that if we stayed in that sixth-tier city there would be no chance for me to be successful.”
Moving from one city to the next is not as easy as just packing your bags.
“My parents are not so highly educated—they only had a high school education-- but they have a really clear mindset that if we stayed in that sixth-tier city there would be no chance for me to be successful.”
Moving from one city to the next is not as easy as just packing your bags.
“One of the major problems that the Chinese government worried about in the past was that the population would just rush into the cities. So, they created this really absurd system called ‘household registration' (Hukou)."
It's almost like a passport to live in the village of your birth--and only the village of your birth.
It's almost like a passport to live in the village of your birth--and only the village of your birth.
"So, my family, we can travel to the cities. But, if you want to do anything—like attend school—it’s troublesome.”
And costly. To attend school—without the proper registration—would cost $1000, more than his mother earned in a year.
When Shenzhen, a territory near Hong Kong, started blooming after the British Handover in ’97, Jason’s father moved there “illegally” to make some money for the family. Meanwhile, Jason’s mother remained in a state-owned factory in Ankang and did her best to push for the family to be able to move to a better location.
“It (the factory) was super corrupt back in those days. Every Chinese New Year, she would spend half of the family savings to buy a small gold Buddha to bribe the official so that we could get a chance to move to the city. “
After ten years, Jason's family got their wish. They were given a change in household registration , a passport to the 2nd-tier city of Xian.
And costly. To attend school—without the proper registration—would cost $1000, more than his mother earned in a year.
When Shenzhen, a territory near Hong Kong, started blooming after the British Handover in ’97, Jason’s father moved there “illegally” to make some money for the family. Meanwhile, Jason’s mother remained in a state-owned factory in Ankang and did her best to push for the family to be able to move to a better location.
“It (the factory) was super corrupt back in those days. Every Chinese New Year, she would spend half of the family savings to buy a small gold Buddha to bribe the official so that we could get a chance to move to the city. “
(To be continued. Next: Hundred-Mile Move is Shock.)
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