In a rare move, 13 newspapers across the country recently published a joint editorial exhorting the country's leaders to abolish the hukou system of residential control, which prevents those from the countryside from ever becoming recognised as city residents.
The system was introduced more than 50 years ago to curb the migration of peasants into the cities. But now, with a market economy that requires free movement of workers, the system is clearly no longer appropriate.
Tens of millions of people - possibly up to 200 million - no longer live in their registered domiciles because they work in factories churning out products for export.
But they and their children - even those born in the cities - still carry with them the stigma of rural residence. That means they do not have social welfare benefits like other urban dwellers, such as public housing assistance. Their children are not entitled to educational benefits and they do not get health care.
Premier Wen Jiabao , in his work report to the National People's Congress on March 5, promised that the state will 'carry out reform of the household registration system and relax requirements for household registration in towns and small and medium-sized cities'. However, his words did not carry a sense of urgency.
It is unusual for a Chinese newspaper to demand change of Beijing. It is even more rare for so many newspapers to join together to demand the scrapping of an outmoded policy.