Ｓｈａｎｇｈａｉ’ｓ　Ｈｕｋｏｕ　Ｓｙｓｔｅｍ　Ｒｅｆｏｒｍ.docVIP

Ｓｈａｎｇｈａｉ’ｓ　Ｈｕｋｏｕ　Ｓｙｓｔｅｍ　Ｒｅｆｏｒｍ 　　CHINA’s financial center Shanghai recently aroused wide attention with its new hukou policy, which allows some non-locals to apply for permanent residency in the city. 　　In China, living in Beijing doesn’t mean that you are a Beijinger, and it is the same in other cities. Without a local hukou, people can only hold a temporary residency certificate, even if they have lived in the city for years. Locals refer to temporary residence certificate holders as non-locals. As ?non-locals” are not entitled to the full spectrum of social rights and welfare benefits, many desperately seek local hukou. Shanghai has a population of 19 million people, of whom six million do not have permanent residency. 　　However, those seeking permanent residency in Shanghai under the new regulations have found that the requirements are not easy to meet. To qualify, applicants must have held a temporary Shanghai residency certificate and have been in the city’s social insurance program for at least seven years. Applicants must also be taxpayers, have obtained vocational qualifications at intermediate to high levels, and worked in pertinent fields. They must also have clean credit and criminal records. 　　According to relevant government departments in Shanghai, there have only been about 3,000 “non-locals” in the city who have met the two “seven years” conditions, and fewer still fulfill all the requirements. But local officials argue that as time goes by, there will be more qualified applicants. The new hukou policy in Shanghai will be administered on a trial basis for three years. 　　Since 1958 the Chinese government has maintained a hukou, or household registration, system dividing the population into urban and rural households. With better social security, welfare benefits and public services in the cities, permanent urban residency appeals to many Chinese. 　　As social security and welfare are all covered by local finances, only hukou holders can receive