Problematyka definicji miasta i ludności miejskiej w Chińskiej Republice Ludowej

Abstract

Problems of city definition and urban population in the People’s Republic of China Present urbanization processes are characterized by unusual spontaneity, reflected in numerous problems in defining urban population and determining real city boundaries. Of particular interest, from a scientific point of view, is the case of China, where a considerable dynamics of socio-economic transformations, as ell as political and administrative issues are reflected in a complex urban structure. Serious complications in determining the real Chinese urban population number, or determining real city boundaries are the complicated administrative division, manifested by an unnatural size of the cities, and the inclusion of rural population under their urban jurisdiction. In addition, the question of social duality between the countryside and the city,caused by the Hukou register system, seriously hampers estimations of a city resident number. Mass migration from the countryside to cities, in most cases without updating the Hukou system, resulted in a lack of complete and accepted statistics concerning the population of Chinese cities. It is also worth mentioning, that rural migrants in urban areas are often a secondary category of citizens facing socio-economic discrimination, leading to a visible and tangible polarization among Chinese urban residents.