THE CHINESE CASTE SYSTEM

*The Origins and Social Consequences of China's Hukou System* by Tiejun Cheng and Mark Selden is one of the most influential studies examining how modern China institutionalized the divide between urban and rural populations. Published in The China Quarterly in 1994, the paper traces the historical origins of the Hukou (household registration) system and analyzes its profound impact on Chinese society. The authors argue that the Hukou system emerged during the 1950s as part of China's broader strategy of socialist industrialization, population management, and state-building. Through a complex framework of registration requirements, migration restrictions, grain rationing, and employment controls, the Chinese state limited the movement of rural citizens into urban areas and created distinct categories of citizenship. The paper demonstrates how urban residents gained access to state-supported employment, housing, healthcare, education, and welfare benefits, while rural populations remained largely excluded from these privileges. This institutional divide produced a long-lasting hierarchy that shaped economic opportunities, social mobility, and access to public resources. Drawing upon official documents, policy directives, and historical evidence, Cheng and Selden show how the Hukou system became a cornerstone of China's developmental model. The study highlights the relationship between state planning, collectivization, urbanization, labour allocation, and social control, revealing how population management was central to China's political and economic transformation. The paper raises important questions about citizenship, inequality, migration, and state power, making it essential reading for scholars of China, political science, development studies, sociology, economics, and public policy. *Paper Details* *Title:* The Origins and Social Consequences of China's Hukou System *Authors:* Tiejun Cheng & Mark Selden *Journal:* The China Quarterly *Year:* 1994 #China #Hukou #ChinaStudies #ChineseHistory #ChinesePolitics #Urbanization #Migration #PoliticalScience #DevelopmentStudies #Sociology #Economics #ChineseEconomy #PublicPolicy #SocialInequality #ResearchPaper #AcademicReading #ChinaResearch #TheChinaQuarterly 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get ₹740 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/50868883...