Temporal and spatial process: urbanisation driven by rural-urban migration in China, 1949-2010

This study analyses the spatial and temporal changes in urbanisation driven by rural–urban migration in China. China began the socialist era as a very under-urbanised country relative to its level of development and that it has been eliminating this urbanisation gap during the post-1978 period. It is the large scale rural–urban migration that pushes rapid urban population growth and contributes to China’s urban economy boom by providing cheap labour. Rural–urban migrant is the main source of urban population growth. Under the special political, social and economic circumstances, the historical trajectory of China’s urbanisation in the past six decades is unique in the world. Examining its characteristics and experiences would produce valuable implications on its future development trends.