Social structure of the People's Republic of China

The Social structure of the People's Republic of China is marked by division between the urban middle class, many of them party members and government employees, who live in the great conurbations of China such as Shanghai and Beijing and the large masses of rural people who live in less-developed areas of the interior. The rural population as they seek work in urban factories have only the status of migrant workers and are expected to return to their homes in the interior after working temporarily in urban factories.

Conflict emerged into the open in 2016 as the state attempted to increase access of rural residents to elite universities, an initiative which urban residents protested.