Thanks for the link, rms. It's a good summary of the situation. For the Americans here, you can get a quick "gut" feeling for the hukou system by thinking abo

Thanks for the link, rms. It's a good summary of the situation. For the Americans here, you can get a quick "gut" feeling for the hukou system by thinking about the illegal Mexican immigrants in the U.S. Sure, they can go to any city and find low-wage blue collar work. The odds are also pretty good that they won't be deported. However, they're always going to be stuck at the bottom of the heap. The situation is practically identical for people here in China with an "agricultural" residence permit. They flock to the cities by the tens of millions to (illegally) work in factories and do construction work. I see them every day. It's better pay than plowing fields, but they'll forever be working dirty, dangerous, low-paying jobs. If they do manage to climb up somehow, they'll live in constant fear of being discovered. Going to a university gives you an urban registration, which is arguably even more important than the degree.