When I was watching the film "Almost a love story," one of my most impressive scenes is when Qiao came Hong Kong, she wears a mask named "Hong Konger." In the same situation, for the film "Beijing Bicycle," the baby sitter, Xiao-hong, pretending herself as a local resident. In the whole movie, she did not talk any word, she may intend to be quiet to cover her dialect. In both of the films, the characters from countryside or mainland are all want to be the "real" urban residents. So they mimic the urban people's behaviors and dialect. The tragedy is that, it is not an unusual occasion in today's Chinese society.
Here comes to the question that why do they pretend to act like that? Is that because the matter of save face? Is that because citizens will discriminate them when people admit they come from rural region? In this project, I will discuss the social behaviors and historical background of this phenomenon. However, as far as I am concerned, they do not need to pretend in this way. Everyone should has his or her own identity, not exactly same as others. In my opinion, there are three "roots" for this special phenomenon.
For the cultural background, after 1970s, China began to reform in economical fields. During the past years of early foundation of PRC, workers, peasants and soldiers represented the country. However, the situation of workers and peasants have changed a lot since economic reform. "The Chinese government has shown particular concern over attempts to form independent labor organizations in this period, seeking instead to contain an increasingly restive working class, now subject to a high level of employment insecurity, within the framework of state-controlled unionism." (Hassard, 2008, p.32) As the opening for the coast regions, the economical gap between coastal cities and in-land cities or countries is increasing. It is such a visible gap that the more and more in-land people are desiring to live a better life. So millions of peoples trying to find a work in big cities, like Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai or Beijing. But the fact is that, the civilizations, degree of educations, habitats are totally different. It is hard for them to live together peacefully. From then on, the situation of urban people and countrymen has changed a lot from Cultural Revolution.
In addition, the concept of "hukou" became a method to distinguish rural from urban people. "Post-1978 economic reforms, however, have dramatic effects on mobility: in the past 20 years, over 200 million rural residents left their land and started new lives in cities as migrant labor while the hukou system stays largely untouched (Chan & Zhang, 1999; Fan, 2008; Liang & Ma, 2004). Even though migrants workers did a huge contribution to the city's industry and economic development, the urbanizes still did not recognize their work. "Hukou" became an identity to distinguish people. Basically, in Chinese people's normal sense, the citizen identity is regarded as the symbolic of richness even though things are totally different for now. It is a kind of stereotype.
At last but not to least, what if "Chinese dream" realized or not? Living a better or higher quality of life is one of the dreams for most Chinese people. During the 1980s, a huge number of people realized their dreams. You can see village like Shenzhen ot city like Guangzhou was changing every moment during 1980s. People got much richer than before. "In the mid to late 1980s, travelers on the roads leading from Shenzhen toward Guangzhou could see frenetic construction throughout the area as village after village competed 'self-reliantly' to throw up factory buildings to rent out. While village residential areas remained in place, the agricultural land was becoming covered by a crazy quilt of small improvised industrial parks."(Chung & Unger, 2013, p. 33) It is true that there were numerous of chances to make it possible for people became rich during the reform period. Inspiring by those who realized their "Chinese dreams," more and more migrants came to the cities to chase dreams. However, the reality is that, at the same time of chances, there are numerous people who failed to get a better life. The issue became another cultural tradition, matter of saving face. It is hard to explain the so called "face" problem. But for my understanding, "face" relates to honor, social occupation, fame, or something else. In order to keep face, some of the people who failed, chose to pretend as nothing happened and act like most of others in the city.
In conclusion, the phenomenon relates to culture, historical background and matter of saving face. The sad thing to me is that, for the most of social values, you must look the same as the majority. The special one can be considered as the strange one for people with such kind of cultural background. It is hard to change, honestly. But at least for me, the first step to eliminate this problem is to change the stereotype towards rural people. They made a large amount of contributions for the country's industry and economical development. Before migrants who are regarded as countrymen, they are citizens of the country firstly. So there should not be any difference between rural and local people. And there is no need to pretending like a urban resident.
References
Chen, J. (2013). Perceived Discrimination and Subjective Well-being among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 40(1), 131-156.CHUNG, H., & UNGER, J. (2013). The Guangdong Model of Urbanisation. China Perspectives, 2013(3), 33-41.
Hassard, J., Sheehan, J., & Xiao, Y. (2008). Chinese state-enterprise reform: Economic transition, labour unrest and worker representation. Capital & Class, 32(96), 31-52.
Chan, K. W., & Zhang, L. (1999). The hukou system and rural-urban migration: Processes and changes. The China Quarterly, 160, 818-855.
Peter Chan. (1996). Comrades: Almost a Love Story. Golden Harvest / United Filmmakers Organization
Wang Xiaoshuai. (2001). Beijing Bicycle. Sony Pictures Classics.
