China's Rapid Urbanization

摘要

Between 1980 and 2012, china's urbanization increased from 19.4 to 52.6% (1). Unfortunately, China's urbanization has developed far ahead of its economic growth. As a consequence, China's urban economic advantages are being offset by the perennial urban curses of overcrowding, air and water pollution, environmental degradation, contagious disease, and crime (2, 3). China's rapid urbanization has also resulted in a severe labor shortage in its rural communities. By 2012, 262 million people had migrated to urban areas. The majority of the rural-to-urban migrants are men, who seek higher wages in cities but leave their children, spouses, and aging parents in the villages. The number of rural children left behind increased from 22 million in 2004 to 58 million in 2010, and the women and aging parents left behind have reached more than 47 million and 40 million, respectively (4, 5).