Social Transformation In Rural Areas "empty Villages" Formation Mechanism And Its Social Impact

In the speeding-up period of transformation from traditional to modern society,China is experiencing considerable change of social and economic system,alteration of social structure,adjustment of interest distribution,diversification of thinking patterns. Specially,since the introduction of reform and opening-up policy,owing to the increasing urbanization and modernization,people have had freedom to move between rural and urban areas. With greater number of rural people migrating to urban areas,there is necessity of change of labor force structure in rural areas. One result of the change is that the phenomenon of educated and skilled men migrating to urban areas and children,women and elderly people staying in rural areas is represented by so-called"hollow village".Its emerging has profound social context: the household contract responsibility system released rural labor force and cast them off"bondage"of land; the reform of household register system eradicated institutional obstacle of rural labor force migration; urbanization and industrialization brought forth the growth of secondary and third sectors,which offered room for it. The migration leads to the phenomenon of"hollow village",which lacks of young labor force.Through case studies,this thesis suggests that"hollow village"is the result of both external and internal factors. The former are urban pull and rural thrust. Urban pull refers to the expected high income,good opportunity and quality living condition in urban areas. Rural thrust is the propelling of rural family production and living,social relations,opportunity and living condition,as well as local government. The latter are the farmers'rational behaviors. With farmers under the pressure of subsistence,the primary factor deciding their migrating to work in the urban areas is the rational choice of living on. Afterwards,they might pursue higher living standards; the"maximal,optimal and satisfying"standards represent farmers'promotion from subsistence ration to economic and social ration. Currently social and economic ration is more prominent in farmers'migration,sometimes dominant. With numerous analyses of field data,this thesis observes that outbound migration of young labor force has positive impact on rural communities,which alleviates contradiction between high population and scarcely available land,promotes productive efficiency,increases family income and alters farmers'thought pattern. At the same time,the out-bound migration also results in the impossibility of sophisticated rural production,lack of talents,higher opportunity costs,irrationality of labor force structure,and hinder of sustainable development and new rural construction in rural areas.