ABSTRACT
Settlement patterns are an important determinant of the future socioeconomic standing of migrants. Where and how migrants live is likely to affect their general level of satisfaction with urban living and the ease or difficulty to adapt to the new environment. The global experiences of residential mobility and migrant settlement will no doubt help our understanding of trends in China. In Chinese cities, however, there are significant barriers for migrants to settle permanently. Almost 200 million migrants have left the Chinese countryside for cities since 1983. In 2001, the State Council expanded this program to include all small towns and cities. Since 2001, many provinces and large cities also have begun to allow migrants who satisfy certain criteria to obtain localhukou in urban areas.
