“Most new houses in the countryside were built with money earned by first-generation migrant workers. This second-generation cannot earn anything like that,” reckons Liu. “Compared with those born in the 1960s and 1970s, the young workers have grown up in a more open, rapidly changing society and this has made them more sensitive and receptive to new ideas.”

“They work and live in this city; helping them integrate more deeply with life here is an issue we must address,” cautions Liu.

The Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions’ survey on the life of second-generation migrant workers in Shenzhen supports Liu’s view. The findings show that most of them have no experience of farm work; they want to do more than just survive in the city, they want to enjoy the modern urban lifestyle.

However, such aspirations remain a distant target. The study shows that a young migrant worker in Shenzhen earns on average RMB 1,838.6 a month (including overtime pay), only enough to maintain a basic standard of living. About 46.8 percent of them still have to share a low-rent apartment with others, which restricts their social lives. China’s household registration system also means that they are not entitled to the full spectrum of social rights and welfare benefits.

The Shenzhen government is vigorously looking for ways to help this group settle in the city. According to information supplied by the Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security of Shenzhen, efforts have been made to improve training for rural migrant workers. A tailor-made medical insurance system has been established, and their children are covered under the municipal basic medical care scheme for children. The government has also waived a regulation that made it mandatory for non-permanent-resident workers to pay their endowment insurance premium for five consecutive years before statutory retirement age. This means migrant workers in Shenzhen can now get the same retirement pension as their resident counterparts.

It can be foreseen that, compared with their parents, second-generation migrant workers will have a better chance of really settling into the city.