Hukou
After 1978 controls were not so strict.  Migrant workers could  get temporary residency permits, but they generally got worse jobs and get less money. They often had to leave their children behind in the rural area. If the children came to the city they may not be able to go to public schools or colleges. By 2016, the government  had given urban hukou to about 28.9 million rural migrants.   People were more likely to get an urban hukou if they owned their home or if they had qualifications.  In the special economic zones of China - Shenzhen, Shantou, and Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Xiamen located in Fujian province people were allowed to have both rural and urban houkou.