Adapting to city life不是我不明白 只是“城市化”脚步太快导读:随着我国城市化(urbanization)步伐的不断加快,外来人口纷纷到大城市中寻找自己的梦想,有些人更是通过努力,扎根城市,重新定义自己的人生。
Zhao Zhanglin, a post-90s rural migrant, didn’t expect to stay when he first set foot in the sprawling metropolis of Beijing.
赵章林(音译)是位90后外来务工人员。当第一次踏上北京这座纷繁大都市时,他并未料到自己会留下来。 “I just wanted to open my eyes by coming to the city to work for a few years,” the 22-year-old recounts. “Then I’d like to return to the peaceful village in Ankang, Shaanxi, where I came from.” But then he felt that his whole life had been redefined by being exposed to the exciting urban life. “I talked with professors, businessmen and even actors,” said Zhao, who organized conferences and receptions for a training company. “In the countryside, the people I encounter are restricted to farmers and street vendors.” Zhao can now also support his family by sending back money and has been recruited in a local junior college. He has decided to stay in Beijing. According to The Urban Blue Book: China City Development Report, released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) last week, the number of Chinese urbanites (691 million) has surpassed the number of rural residents. The urbanization rate, which means the proportion of residents who live in cities is now at 51.27 percent. This marks a significant change in the country’s social structure. It means that China has ended the era of “village-based society” and ushered in a “city-based society”. The term “urbanization” refers to the process of rural people moving into cities. A key indicator of a country’s urbanization level is the distribution of its population between rural and urban areas, explains the report. “Urbanization is inevitable and progressive. It is an integral part of a city’s social and economic development,” says Wei Houkai, deputy director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. According to Wei, the process causes “human resource capital” to accumulate, generating wealth in the society. It also increases consumption and investment. The report reveals that the ratio of urban disposable incomes to rural net incomes reached 3.13 in 2011. “In cities, centralized production, distribution and exchange create the ‘agglomeration effect’ - which reduces costs while increasing efficiency,” says Zhu Caibin, PhD, in urban and environmental science and expert in city planning at the China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute. To put it simply, a factory will find it easier to hire hands and gather material. Whereas you can sell a product to only one person in a village, you might attract 10 potential customers in a city. Zhu also notes that urbanization improves lives by offering better education and more job opportunities to city dwellers. It also diversifies cultural experiences. However, social experts point out that many migrant workers often find it hard to adapt to urban life. Qiao Xiaodao, 36, a farmer now turned musician and artist in Beijing, believes it depends on the attitude of newcomers. “If they just want to earn money, gain skills and return to the countryside, they don’t need to bother blending in,” he says. “But if they want to establish roots in the city, they have to make an effort.” Hardship, such as living in a basement, might be inevitable. But Qiao is optimistic that social policy, including healthcare, will become more favorable to newcomers. “It is just a matter of time.” The report notes further problems relating to the trend of urbanization, such as air pollution, soaring housing prices, and traffic congestion. Wei believes this is not caused by urbanization itself, but by an unscientific approach to development. “The right approach would be to enhance the quality of a city in terms of its cultural environment and green features, while lowering the cost of resource consumption,” he says. |
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