Reform of hukou, China’s permanent residency identification system, in southwestern Chongqing municipality began last August and has attracted nationwide attention. On Jan. 31, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported that more than 1.6 million farmers in the region who originally held agricultural hukou had been changed to non-agricultural status since the initiative was launched. The system, originally meant to manage population movement and industrial activities throughout China, is increasingly being blamed for restricting social benefits for the country’s large number of agricultural hukou holders. The result has been a growing disparity between rural and urban living standards and hurdles to economic reform . The reform initiative in Chongqing, which exemplifies similar efforts that have been undertaken in China since 2007, has also raised questions about land ownership, which is a major benefit for agricultural households.