BTN: China's internal migration

SUBJECTS:  Geography

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10

For decades China has experienced a mass migration of people from rural to urban areas.

This large-scale movement of people is putting pressure on the resources and facilities of cities such as Shanghai.

Watch this clip, first broadcast in 1993, to find out the reasons for China's internal migration and the challenges it poses for the country's cities.

Things to think about

1. 1.How would life in rural China differ from life in a city like Beijing or Shanghai? Think about some everyday activities such as preparing food, or going to school or work. What would be some of the consequences for the rural villages and families when people move to the city?
2. 2.Watch the clip as it shows some everyday activities undertaken in a rural village. What tasks do you notice being performed using traditional methods and machinery? What reasons are given to explain why people are moving to cities within China? What benefits does city life provide? What problems does this internal migration create for the cities.
3. 3.The narrator describes China's internal migration as perhaps 'the biggest mass movement of people in history'. Give reasons for this migration and describe how these destinations are likely to be affected. Do you think it's likely the migration trend has continued since the time of this clip (1993)? Why or why not? Compare the lifestyle of Chinese people who live in rural areas and those in cities.
4. 4.In the clip, it says that one-third of Shanghai's population by 1993 were migrants from the countryside. Find out about the people who live in Shanghai now. What percentage are migrants from rural areas? In millions, what is Shanghai's population? How has it changed over the past twenty years ?

Date of broadcast: 5 Oct 1993

Copyright

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