As a migrant worker from China’s countryside living in Beijing, Mr. Liu had tried everything to meet the taxing requirements in order to let his son attend a local school.
Finally, even after spending years navigating the bureaucracy and giving up thousands, he failed to escape the confines of his rural household registration.
In China, all citizens are factored into a system called “hukou” in Chinese. People who have hukou in poor, rural regions can live and work in large cities, but they and their relatives are generally barred from enjoying most social benefits, including public education.
