SHANGHAI : In China this year, more than 700 million people are making their way home for the Lunar New Year.
That makes it the biggest human migration in the world.
And according to researchers, it will take another generation before the immense scale of the Lunar New Year exodus will begin to ease.
The majority of those travelling across China to go home for Lunar New Year are the country's migrant workers who have moved to cities like Shanghai to work.
For most of them, the Spring Festival is the only time of the year when they can actually take leave from work to return to their hometowns and families.
It is a consequence of the country's uneven economic development where for many, leaving home is the only way they can earn a better living.
One migrant worker said: "We don't have that many companies at home. The salaries in Shanghai are much higher."
Another noted: "I have no choice. The pay at home is just too low."
To accommodate the annual surge, the central government is spending billions on new railways.
China's new premier Li Keqiang has also made urbanisation a priority policy in an attempt to rein in the annual exodus.
Billions have already been spent to build subsidised apartments to house the new urbanites.
But that calls for new policies to allow migrant workers to convert their residence of birth or hukou to enjoy privileges currently enjoyed by city residents.
This will, in turn, require more measures to provide healthcare for elderly parents of migrant workers, make it easier for migrant children to attend public schools in cities, and compensate farmers for their land.
All this requires more resources and funding.
Hu Shuyun, from the Urban and Population Studies at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said: "Companies hiring migrant workers were paying a lower premium for social security.
"Now the policy requires them to pay them the same amount as they would a city resident, increasing the firms' expenses a few times. Of course, this will cause companies to make adjustments. Low-cost labour-intensive companies like some we see here in Shanghai may then choose to move away."
Already, some local governments are claiming they are facing difficulties raising funds to build the targeted six million units of affordable housing this year.
Researchers have said that despite the challenges, there has been some progress. Policies in education and social security have been changed in some cities to accommodate migrant workers and their families. But there are still millions of other migrant workers who do not fit the criteria spelt out in current policies, they will continue to be part of this annual human migration for years to come.
- CNA/ms
Millions of Chinese migrant workers head home for Lunar New Year
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Millions of Chinese migrant workers head home for Lunar New Year
