Soon the much coveted Beijing hukou will be available to a small qualifying portion of the over eight million non-native residents of Beijing, according to Xinhua. Only a certain number of Chinese citizens will be granted a Beijing hukou each year, using a point-based, competitive award system.
From now until June 14th, Beijing temporary residence permit holders for seven consecutive years who have no criminal records are eligible to apply for a Beijing hukou in a highly competitive system not unlike Ivy League university acceptance. Special consideration will be given to those with stable, high end employment, property in Beijing, good education, business owners, and those with “achievements in innovation.”
Families awarded a Beijing hukou will have access to public schools and services in Beijing, already considered some of the best in the country. However, all Beijing hukou holders will also be subject to a point based social credit system, mirroring (or should we say black mirroring) other social credit systems already in effect in cities like Xi’an and Shanghai.
Although the hukou system has existed in some form since ancient times, the modern version began in 1958, classifying families and individuals by location and as either rural or urban, and restricting movement out of farming communities. The system has been controversial for years. It’s worst critics liken the hukou to a social caste system, leaving behind the poorest agricultural communities in already poor provinces and giving a big boost in schooling, medicine, and public transportation to middle class city dwellers. Supporters of the system feel that a point based hukou awards achievement over birthplace, making Beijing citizenship an achievable “China Dream.”
Photos: thestar.com
