Migration in China from 1985 to 2000

During the 1980s and 1990s, interprovincial migration in China surged concurrently with three major developments in the economy: deregulation of migration, rapid growth, and substantial increases in foreign and domestic investments. To what extent did these developments influence the changes in interprovincial migration? In this study, data from the National Census and National Bureau of Statistics are used to estimate a more extensive modified gravity model compared to previous research. It is found that past migration substantially influences current migration, confirming that migrants strongly prefer moving to provinces with relatively large migrant enclaves. Greater levels of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the target destination were found to stimulate inmigration, particularly during the 1990s. The deep economic reforms made in the 1990s changed the structure of migration significantly.