Yifan has Hukou Today
By Jian Shuo Wang on 2007-06-23 16:25 · YifanFirst, the name of my baby is finally determined. We decided to call him Wang Yifan 王逸凡. Out of all the name, we like this name best and there is no bad similiar meaning related to it. We are happy to announce his name. The english name is Yifan Wang…
Second, he got his Hukou today.
In China, everyone must have a Hukou (refer to Hukou System in China). It is a residential permit that bind someone to a piece of land and restrict free move from one location to another. As I decribed in my previous article, this stupid system is not as powerful as 20 years ago, but it is still in effect, so my darling has to register with the police to get his Hukou. I did it today.
With the Hukou Booklet, the marriage certificate, national id and new-born baby certificate, I added Yifan’s name on our Hukou booklet. Officially, Yifan is now part of our family.
Something interesting for Yifan’s Hukou.
- There is a column saying: When and why you moved into this family?
The answer was: June 2, 2007, because of newly born.
- The Origination 籍贯
This is wired. It said: Mingjin County, Henan Province.
I asked the police why, and they said it is by regulation that every person’s origination must follow his father (not mother) and has nothing to do with where he was born or raised.
My origination was also given according to my father, so does Yifan. That means, he is legally bound to a land that he has never been and maybe only visit several times in his life time.
According to this law, his son or daughter will also be treated as a person coming from the county 1800 km away. I firmly believe Hukou system won’t last that long.
- He has has national identification card number already.
Although it will be at least 18 years for him to claim his id card, he already has a number that is uniquely assigned to him. Isn’t it interesting?
- The other things like education. Wendy has ‘Graduate’ in the field, and I have ‘B.S.’ and guess what’s in Yifan’s field? It says: ‘pre-school child’. There are also some fields I feel funny, like “Marriage status: not-married”…
Anyway, Yifan has Hukou today.
14 Comments
are Hukous also issued in rural provinces?
So your baby got a Shanghai HuKou, or still remains a HeNan HuKou? I am curious for a couple like you living in Shanghai so long, do they give your son a Shanghai HuKou?
This HuKou thing is notorious and has been long critized, hope the day will come soon when everyone just need an ID card, and no HuKou is required for equal education opportunity.