chinese word of the day

sorry i've been remiss! to compensate, i'll throw in 2 freebies today.

Hukou

pronounciation:
http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html

definition:
refers to the system of residency permits which dates back to ancient China, where household registration is required by law in People's Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan).

In 1958, the Chinese government began using the family register system to control the movement of people between urban and rural areas. Individuals were broadly categorised as a "rural" or "urban" worker.[4] A worker seeking to move from the country to urban areas to take up non-agricultural work would have to apply through the relevant bureaucracies. The number of workers allowed to make such moves was tightly controlled. Migrant workers would require six passes to work in provinces other than their own.[5] People who worked outside their authorized domain or geographical area would not qualify for grain rations, employer-provided housing, or health care.[6] There were controls over education, employment, marriage and so on.[4]

Although an individual is technically required to live in the area designated on his/her permit, in practice the system has largely broken down. After Chinese market reforms, it became possible for some to unofficially migrate and get a job without a valid permit. Economic reforms also created pressures to encourage migration from the interior to the coast.

Excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hukou_system