Peter Hessler's China: the migration generation

Peter Hessler's second book, Oracle Bones, tackles the concept of urban migration in China, which, for those of us looking in, is an almost incomprehensible phenomenon. Official estimates say that more than 130 million people – about a tenth of China's population – have moved from the countryside to China's urban centers.

“Urban migration is probably the most important social change in China over the past 20 to 30 years. This is such a massive change. In Europe and America, so much of what we buy comes from China. Where do these factories get their workers? From migration, so it's an enormous economic change,” Hessler explains.

“But more importantly, it's a huge cultural change. The way life works in a village in China is very different from the way life works in the cities. When people migrate, they have to redefine themselves. They have to redefine their relationship to their families and to the people around them. They have to figure out new ways to survive. This is what's happening with each individual, 130 million times, over and over again in China. It is overwhelming.”

Off to an adventure

Hessler says that one way to make sense of it is to look beyond the almost faceless rush and focus on the migrants themselves. “As a writer, I feel that the way to deal with that is to find individuals and to tell individual stories, to explain what it's like for a young person who leaves the farm and goes to the city.”

“It's very intimidating for them. Sometimes, some very terrible things can happen. At the same time, for most young people, it's quite exciting. It's an adventure, a chance for them to define themselves in a very new way. I think a lot of people really look forward to it and respond to it.”

Changed by migration

The growing number of young people in China who are joining the exodus to the big cities has given rise to what's been called the “migration generation.” Hessler observes, however, that they might not see themselves as part of this huge historical moment.

“These people are quite concerned with their very personal and very immediate challenges. At most times, average people don't think of themselves as part of a bigger picture. But I think over time, there is some recognition that something important is happening.”

Hessler said that was one of the reasons why he wrote about a young man who had taken on the English name of William Jefferson Foster. Willy was one of Hessler's students in Fuling and over the years, they have kept in touch through letters.

Peter Hessler has written two books about his experiences in China. (Image: courtesy of Peter Hessler)“I wrote about Willy because I think he's a case of somebody who, over time, becomes more aware of what has happened to him. He realizes that he has really left his hometown. He knows he's not going back. He knows the life that he grew up with is finished, that the sort of very placid rural life in China is over. He's aware of this. I can see it in his letters. But, even for Willy, his primary concern is his individual challenges.”

Leaving their old life behind while chasing better prospects has in many ways made these young people stronger, according to Hessler. “One thing that happens to these young people is they become much more independent and they become very resourceful. They learn that they have to depend on themselves. In the village, life is very group-oriented and everything revolves around the family and the clan and the village. When they leave their villages, their family really isn't in a position to help them very much. It can be very frightening, but in most cases, it teaches them new skills.”

“You can see the ways these young people that I wrote about learned how to function, how to support and protect themselves as well.”