Henan Province to Eliminate Corvee Labor Requirements for Farmers

According to an article appearing in the Beijing News, the Henan Provincial Conference on Rural Affairs has decided to lift mandatory corveé labor requirements on rural residents. The measure accompanies other efforts to improve the rights of migrant workers, including directives aimed at protecting their rural property rights and barring discrimination against them. These positive developments are consistent with recent central government efforts to improve the treatment of migrants. The continued existence of corveé labor, however, shows the extent to which basic personal liberties are often absent in rural China.