Asia and the Pacific: Urbanisation of Rural Migrants in China Report

This report provides a critical summary of the article "The urbanisation of rural migrants and the making of urban villages in contemporary China." It examines the primary goal of the article, which is to discuss the tactics employed by urban village residents in participating in the informal housing and labor markets. The report highlights the author's arguments, supported by ethnographic data, emphasizing the agency of residents in creating their living spaces and challenging marginalization. The analysis delves into the concept of urban villages as essential components of Chinese capitalism, the role of state power, and the significance of informal economies. The report also discusses the article's approach, data sources, and the theme of urbanisation, including its impact on the boundaries between cities and villages. It concludes by reiterating the article's central arguments and the methodological approach used to gather information on the social relations within these urban villages.

Running head: URBANISATION OF THE RURAL MIGRANTS IN CHINA
Urbanisation of the rural migrants in China
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1URBANISATION OF THE RURAL MIGRANTS IN CHINA
Introduction
The article, “The urbanisation of rural migrants and the making of urban villages in
contemporary China” discusses about the proliferation of the urban villages in the important
cities of China (Zhan 2018). This essay discusses about the primary goal of the article and the
argument that the author is trying to present in the paper. This essay elucidates on the
evidence that have been used for supporting the claim of the paper.
Discussion
The primary goal of the article is to discuss about the tactics of the urban village
residents for participating within informal housing market along with the labour market. The
main aim of the article is to talk about how the people agency are instrumental in making
their own living spaces and how it is effective in challenging the marginalisation paradigm.
The research question pertaining to the article is that “How are urban villages in China key
sites for the reproduction of the labour power for the rural migrants”. The arguments that the
authors have tried to present in the paper is that the urban villages are the indispensable
components of the Chinese capitalism. It talks about the fact that the state power is not only
instrumental in the elimination of the urban villages but it also offers the protection to such
kind of the places. The article argues about the fact that the spatial along with the social
arrangements of the urban villages helps in providing the rural migrants with the right amount
of the protection. It talks about the fact that the informal economy is dominant within the
urban village that can aid them in being resistant to the big capital along with the real estate
companies.
There are evidences that have been made use of for supporting the goals of the article.
The data relating to the household-based developers have been made use of for understanding
the aspect of the spatial layout of the villages. According to Zhan (2018), the fact that the

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young generation of the local villagers want to work in the city centres points out to the fact
that they are willing to bridge the gap in between the villages and the cities. They believe in
the aspect of the renovation that can help them in getting a new way of life. The supportive
arguments have been put forth in the article that can convince the readers about the
statements that have been made in the article. The approach that have been made use of in the
research article is the ethnographic approach that have helped the researcher in knowing
regarding world from standpoint of the social relations. It is indicative of the primary method
that can help the researcher in gathering the essential facts by involving himself directly in
the scene. The researcher have documented the stories of the three urban village residents that
have helped him in arriving at a significant conclusion in relation to the research. He have
shed light on the social conditions of the people by the exploration of their manner of living
within the framework of the urban villages.
The article talks about the theme of the urbanisation that aids in changing the
boundaries existing in between the cities. It have talked about the village lives of the people
and the changes that it brings to the mode of the people living in the place. It have rightly
talked about how the urban villages become the enclaves for the rural migrants as the
contemporary housing regime within Beijing have been found to be market-oriented and
exclusive to that of the outsiders. The housing within the urban villages can be said to be
‘self-development’ and it does not involve any kind of the formal planning or the
governmental planning. It have talked about the challenges that urbanisation can bring to a
particular country by talking about the fact how the rural migrants who occupy the self-built
properties are excluded from any kind of the housing development process as they do not
have access to the local lands. It talks about the complications pertaining to the land rights as
they could not be transferred on market without any kind of the government permission. The

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non-local actors cannot access the rights over the land and how the local peasants had to
make use of their entitlements for gaining the control over the land.
Conclusion
The goal of the article is to talk about tactics employed by urban village residents so
that they take the part in the labour market. The ethnographic approach have been made use
of in the article that have enabled the researcher in collecting the valuable information by the
aid of the observation of the things along with the events. It have helped him in
understanding and examining the things from the point of view of the social relations. The
article deals with urbanisation and how the urban villages believed in the aspect of the self-
development which did not involve any kind of governmental planning.

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References
Zhan, Y., 2018. The urbanisation of rural migrants and the making of urban villages in
contemporary China. Urban Studies, 55(7), pp.1525-1540.