Though areas such as the southeastern Guangdong province have introduced job retraining programs to encourage assembly-line workers to shift toward more [End Page 144] technical jobs,4 these same opportunities are not as widespread in the rural west [ ]older generations have been shown to struggle with assimilating to modern industries,5 while rural youth present a clean slate with untapped potential, if only the proper educational programs are available Even if families are able to afford tuition, rural schools provide poor-quality vocational training with predominantly unqualified teachers, leaving students without the math or science knowledge necessary for high-skilled labor 6 To address these concerns, the authors suggest that the Chinese government either significantly reduce tuition costs or make academic high school entirely free [ ]they encourage the use of conditional cash transfers to serve as a financial incentive for families to keep their children in school and pursue a serious strategic overhaul in government funding for rural education 7 However, Rozelle and Hell still find these policies insufficient to fully address the rural youth’s inability to access education, as the most alarming issues begin outside of the classroom [ ]the book functions as an informative piece for students as well as a step-by-step guideline for Chinese policymakers wishing to address these issues The terminology and diction are accessible for the average college student, and the authors adequately synthesize more complex topics Because the authors frequently expand upon the historical and political contexts to provide a backdrop for their arguments, the book requires little prior knowledge of the reader and serves as a solid introduction to China’s urban-rural divide
China’s Developmental Shadow: A Review of Invisible China: How the Urban-Rural Divide Threatens China’s Rise by Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell