Excuse me, do you have working permit?

The weather has been bad for several days across China. Typhoon Masta hit east coast cities bringing heavy rain and wind. Millions of people were affected by the flood. Even the modern city of Shanghai, too, was in flood. The Masta went north hit some cities I bet haven’t been visited by typhoon for 50 years. Then, scientists predicted that it was traveling to Beijing. When the whole city prepared to welcome the heavy rains and strong winds it might brought, Masta dumped Beijing. It turned and headed for the sea.

Online jokes said that Masta found she has no residence permit of Beijing and no money with her to apply for the residence permit. She was worried that the police in Beijing would catch her and send her all the way back to her hometown. So Masta turned as headed to the sea.

This is a joke, of course, no one is going to ask Masta for residence permit of Beijing. But the joke underlines an important social issue in China. Should big cities refuse immigrant workers from other cities or countryside? Do all Chinese have the right to choose freely where to live in their country? What kind of policy should be taken to solve the problem of population problem in large cities?

Residential and working permits are not something new for me. When I was in Europe, it took me a long time and a lot of trouble to apply for working permit. I understood that is because I am a foreigner to the country. I applied for a job which is not in my motherland. Awarding me the work means I occupied the social resources of the host country.

However, I never understand my situation in Beijing. Why should I need a residential permit to live and work in the city? Since I was a residence of Shanghai, another large city in China, my situation was better than those who come from small cities or the rural area. One of my friends who came from a small village was stopped in the street to check the residence permit several years ago. Since she had no such documents, she was asked to leave the city.

I never had such problem, but it was difficult for people like me to get social warfare in Beijing. Beijing government said that I should get the warfare in Shanghai, regardless of the situation that I work in Beijing, bought apartment in Beijing, pay my tax in Beijing.

After years of that situation, I decide to change my location of residence. It is not me who do not want to change location of residence in the past years, but because it is difficult to become a residence of a big city, especially Beijing if you parents are not residence of the city.

Should I thank to the new policy that welcome well-educated people to live and work in Beijing? I don’t know. Anyway, since I was educated in a foreign country and have a master’s degree, I am eligible to change my residential location to anywhere in China including Beijing. I did that 12 months after I returned to China.

For people who don’t have the chance to get education in a foreign country, do they have the right to pursuit their opportunities in Beijing? Is it right to deny a people’s citizen right to live in large cities or to discriminate them only because they were not born there?

Every one knows that China faces population pressure. Large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou face more serve problem. However, it is unwise to refuse workers immigrate from other party of the country to large cities. This issue has generated a hot debate in China, especially online.

I am nobody and have no influence on the issue. Let’s hope those who make policies realize that it is ridiculous to restrict free immigration within a country and there are better ways to balance population and economic development.