Domestic Migration and Urbanisation in the People's Republic of China
The People’s Republic of China can thank one main factor for the rapid economic growth it has experienced since Deng Xiaoping opened up the country’s economy around 30 years ago. This is the abundance of people of working age as a result of the population explosion which occurred between 1950 and 1980. This has guaranteed that both domestic and foreign companies have access to abundant cheap labour. Extreme imbalances in the development rates of the different regions mean that millions of workers have left the countryside to look for work in the huge conurbations of (mainly eastern) China.
