The Sociological Research On Migrants' Adaptation To Urban Lives

At present, the process of urbanization in China is entering a critical period. Coincided with the building of a harmonious society, a comprehensive understanding of the situation of all stratum in current Chinese society, especially the survival situation of the main force for urbanization is becoming a pressing task. Small vendors as parts of migrant-workers from rural area who search work opportunities in cities rarely have been treated as a separate sociological research group. Small vendors have played a big role in social stability and the process of urbanization so that they should not be ignored.In this paper, the author takes the anthropological research method to describe the working environment of small vendors in a small snack street in Jinan as an example. On the basis of concept of adaptation in city, the author classified the vendors by observing as well as summarized the interaction structure among all levels of vendors and between small vendors' group and city residents so as to further perceived the means and degree for small vendors integrating into the city. After forming the group structure in small vendors, the author evaluated its effects for urbanization. Based on the fact of snack vendors in a certain street of Jinan, the author analyzes the inside and outside social factors impacting migrant-workers' adaptation to urban lives and gives some policy suggestions.The study found that there is a clear communication structure among the group of small vendors who possesses the characteristic of heterogeneity, that is "Erfangdong" (which means the tenant who sublets part or whole house he/she rents) phenomenon relying on the house rent. "Erfangdong" as the highest level in the group of small vendors, on the one hand, protect other vebdors through their own ability and responsibility and on the other hand, prevent other small vendors from contacting the urban lives directly, which raise the negative effect for their urbanization. "Erfangdong" themselves as a good example of urban adaptation acquire an obvious research value.In this paper, the author analyzes and summrizes small vendors groups with their internal perspective. In the spirit of respecting the fact, avoiding the accumulation of the number, the author described phenomenons and found rules with the fundamental purpose to enable readers to get a clear understanding the nature of urban adaption of small vendors so as to provide certain viewpoints for decision-making.