Regional Cleavage
Regional Cleavage is the primary cleavage in China, for it includes all other cleavages as subcategories, such as educational cleavages, geographical cleavages, income cleavages, and even political cleavages. In the world's largest populated country with 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, 2 special administrative regions, and covering an area of over 9,596,961 sq km of land and water, China is subject to inevitable regional inequity.
History
Throughout most of Chinese history, northern China flourished more in its economy than southern China did. However, the Jurchen and Mongol invasion during the Song dynasty turned the tables around. To escape the Jurchens and Mongols, the people migrated to southern China and the Emperor moved the capital city from Kaifeng in northern China to Hangzhou, located to the south of the Yangtze River. Soon, the political, economical, and cultural power was in the hands of the south. Regions near large bodies of water became essential destinations for extensive trade and communication.
Overall, Deng XiaoPing’s Open Door Policy was the thrust that China needed to build its economy, but sadly the policy isolated rural regions from the development urban regions were, and are, going through. While urban cities such as Shanghai clear land for office buildings or factory bases, rural regions such as Yunnan continue farming large areas of land with little modern development.
Regional Cleavage- Education
The different paces of modern development in different regions of China have resulted largely in economic differences, but if we set those aside, another societal cleavage becomes clear— education. Every year, job vacancies decrease due to floods of migrant workers into urban regions at an estimated number of 15 million new job hunters annually. The severity of unemployment, such as in 2009, when there were 11 million migrant workers and college graduates unemployed, has forced residents living in rural areas to give up schooling to help their families with agricultural work as their way of earning a living instead. This creates a greater and greater imbalance in the education level among people living in rural areas and urban areas. As of now, the population of urban residents is almost equivalent to the population of rural residents. However, the number of people holding rural hukou exceeds the number of people holding a urban one. As the minority holding urban hukou receives quality, up-to-date education, the majority holding rural hukou remains uneducated with the exception of the few fortunate ones who can only make do with old, dated books in villagers or even luckier, be educated in the cities. Although the Chinese government has been attempting to narrow the gap, the inability to control the rapid development of urban centers just tends to widen all existing cleavages in China.
Effects on Political Participation
As mentioned earlier, regional cleavages incorporates a broad array of other cleavages that exist in China. In response to issues such as China’s “Gilded Age,” government oppression of some regions, and inequity among the educated and the non-educated, newspapers and magazines feature political cartoons revealing such problems while social networking sites, such as Weibo, set up discussion panels for people to voice their concerns and to gather people with shared ideals to start cyber-strikes.
But then a problem arises— the widening education cleavage between residents of rural and urban regions decreases chances for the uneducated to participate politically. Their lack in education creates difficulty to express their concerns in an effective manner. With little education and little money, they have little or even no power of influence.
In a similar situation, Tibetan activists resolve to self- immolation and physical attacks on Chinese authorities as their way of protesting the oppressive rule from the central government. The Chinese government responds by sending hundreds of troops to keep rioters under control but this strict security regulation only leads to more monks and nuns setting themselves on fire. For a while, self- immolation has become the common practice for residents living in Southwestern China who are against the central government’s oppressive rule and who call for independence. For years, the Chinese government has been unable to resolve the Tibetans’ protests and it is no doubt that the Tibetans will continue to create problems in the future.
In the meantime, with rapid urban growth and the rural regions dragging slowly behind, it is uncertain whether the government will be able to narrow the different regional cleavages through regulations or policies any time soon.
But then a problem arises— the widening education cleavage between residents of rural and urban regions decreases chances for the uneducated to participate politically. Their lack in education creates difficulty to express their concerns in an effective manner. With little education and little money, they have little or even no power of influence.
In a similar situation, Tibetan activists resolve to self- immolation and physical attacks on Chinese authorities as their way of protesting the oppressive rule from the central government. The Chinese government responds by sending hundreds of troops to keep rioters under control but this strict security regulation only leads to more monks and nuns setting themselves on fire. For a while, self- immolation has become the common practice for residents living in Southwestern China who are against the central government’s oppressive rule and who call for independence. For years, the Chinese government has been unable to resolve the Tibetans’ protests and it is no doubt that the Tibetans will continue to create problems in the future.
In the meantime, with rapid urban growth and the rural regions dragging slowly behind, it is uncertain whether the government will be able to narrow the different regional cleavages through regulations or policies any time soon.
Graphs and Statistics
Useful Iinks:
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?chinas_urban_rural_population_breakdown_18035.aspx
http://comparative-politics.nmhblogs.org/2013/04/15/rural-vs-urban-wealth-gap-in-china/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-06/16/content_8288412.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/05/content_7542368.htm
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?chinas_urban_rural_population_breakdown_18035.aspx
http://comparative-politics.nmhblogs.org/2013/04/15/rural-vs-urban-wealth-gap-in-china/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-06/16/content_8288412.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/05/content_7542368.htm