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The Marginalization of Migrant Workers Reflected in Chinese Movies and TV
Author(s) -
Ke Jinhua,
Fu Xiaofeng,
Hu Rong
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/ajes.12415
Subject(s) - urbanization , modernization theory , migrant workers , china , face (sociological concept) , polarization (electrochemistry) , sociology , political science , economic growth , social science , economics , chemistry , law
The new class of migrant workers that emerged in the late 1980s in China has been an important driving force for the modernization and urbanization of China. However, mainly due to the polarization between the rich and the poor, the contrast between urban and rural areas, and the reorganization of social strata caused by the development of the market economy, these migrant workers have been seriously marginalized. Against this social backdrop, a series of contemporary Chinese films and TV plays have attempted to honestly depict the daily lives of migrant workers and have used different perspectives to illustrate the social barriers they face. This has aroused the public’s attention to the problems faced by migrant workers and also provided us with helpful ideas to solve them. This article selects three representative works, one TV play and two movies, to discuss this issue.