Dangan
Encyclopedia
Dang'an is a Chinese word meaning "record". Used in the political and administrative context, it means an archival system that records the "performance and attitudes" of citizens of mainland China
. Together with the hukou, it has been an important part of the government's efforts to maintain control of its people. Majority of the records are kept by the local archive
bureaus
, some by the State Archives Administration of China at the national level.
CV
: physical characteristics, employment record, photograph, etc. However, it also contains many other documents that would be considered private in some other cultures. According to Wang Fei-ling and other sources, this includes appraisals by supervisors and peers, academic reports from primary school to university, professional credentials, any criminal convictions or administrative penalties, club/society memberships, employment records and political history (such as Youth League
and CPC
membership and assessments). Some of the material is composed by the subject. Even the death certificate and eulogy may be placed in the file.
There are two copies for adults: one held on behalf of their work unit
by its supervisory organization, and the other at the local Public Security Bureau
(PSB). Access to dang'an is strictly controlled. Citizens do not usually see their dang'an, although they may ask a Communist Party member to check it for them. Alterations may only be carried out by special cadres, and when combined with the custom of guanxi
the result is that "Personal revenge, false entries and special favors are thus part of the game."
A Montreal-based human rights group has claimed that the PSB in the process of computerizing the hundreds of millions of dang'an.
, childbirth and transferring the dang'an (i.e., changing workplace). During the Cultural Revolution
era, there even used to determine which individuals and families would be sent to carry out manual labour in the countryside, under the theory of bloodlines. As late as 2003, academic Zhou Jinghao could write that "A work unit controls employees basically through the dangan (personnel dossier) system. An employee cannot transfer to another work unit without his dangan."
As Chinese economic reform has proceeded, the situation has been less clear-cut, as the dang'an system conflicts with market-oriented labour contracts. Graduates have been able to choose their own employment since the mid 1990s in most regions (the latest, Tibet
, in 2006), and marriage has not required work unit consent since 2003. Some private companies in prosperous Guangdong
do not even require access to the files, which remains with the employee's neighbourhood committee. However, individuals may still be granted or denied passport
s, promotions and other benefits based on information in their dang'an. According to BBC
journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, "A black mark against you – a bad school report, a disagreement with your boss, a visit to a psychiatrist – all can travel with you for the rest of your life…" They are also used in investigations by the Ministry of State Security
.
, to which the file is then transferred. Millions of peasants, who work on family farms and small businesses, never acquire a dang'an. Those who do are classified as either cadres (Chinese: ganbu) or workers (Chinese: gōngrén). It is difficult to cross this boundary.
According to Zhou, "private and foreign-funded enterprises are no longer required to receive the dang'an when they hire employees." Instead, foreign firms transfer them to the Ministry of Commerce
.
The future of dang'an was questioned by Qiao Shi
, P.R.China
's number three leader in the mid-90s. In 1996, he proposed to the National People's Congress
that the dang'an system be abolished. Both Qiao and the proposal fell out of favour the following year.
frequently refers to dang'an in his critique of the US school system.
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. Together with the hukou, it has been an important part of the government's efforts to maintain control of its people. Majority of the records are kept by the local archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
bureaus
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
, some by the State Archives Administration of China at the national level.
Contents
The Dang'an includes information possibly found in a WesternWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
CV
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
: physical characteristics, employment record, photograph, etc. However, it also contains many other documents that would be considered private in some other cultures. According to Wang Fei-ling and other sources, this includes appraisals by supervisors and peers, academic reports from primary school to university, professional credentials, any criminal convictions or administrative penalties, club/society memberships, employment records and political history (such as Youth League
Communist Youth League
The Communist Youth League of China also known as the China Youth League is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, run by Communist Party of China. The league is organized on the party pattern. Its leader is its First Secretary...
and CPC
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
membership and assessments). Some of the material is composed by the subject. Even the death certificate and eulogy may be placed in the file.
There are two copies for adults: one held on behalf of their work unit
Work unit
A work unit or danwei is the name given to a place of employment in the People's Republic of China. While the term danwei remains in use today it is more properly used to refer to a place of employment during the period when the Chinese economy was still more heavily socialist or when used in the...
by its supervisory organization, and the other at the local Public Security Bureau
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
(PSB). Access to dang'an is strictly controlled. Citizens do not usually see their dang'an, although they may ask a Communist Party member to check it for them. Alterations may only be carried out by special cadres, and when combined with the custom of guanxi
Guanxi
Guanxi describes the basic dynamic in personalized networks of influence, and is a central idea in Chinese society. In Western media, the pinyin romanization of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used instead of the two common translations—"connections" and "relationships"—as neither of...
the result is that "Personal revenge, false entries and special favors are thus part of the game."
A Montreal-based human rights group has claimed that the PSB in the process of computerizing the hundreds of millions of dang'an.
Significance
During the Maoist era, these dossiers were consulted by work unit officials as they made decisions about the major life events of those under their control. Urban residents were assigned jobs by the state. Thereafter, permission from the work unit was needed for marriageMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, childbirth and transferring the dang'an (i.e., changing workplace). During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
era, there even used to determine which individuals and families would be sent to carry out manual labour in the countryside, under the theory of bloodlines. As late as 2003, academic Zhou Jinghao could write that "A work unit controls employees basically through the dangan (personnel dossier) system. An employee cannot transfer to another work unit without his dangan."
As Chinese economic reform has proceeded, the situation has been less clear-cut, as the dang'an system conflicts with market-oriented labour contracts. Graduates have been able to choose their own employment since the mid 1990s in most regions (the latest, Tibet
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
, in 2006), and marriage has not required work unit consent since 2003. Some private companies in prosperous Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
do not even require access to the files, which remains with the employee's neighbourhood committee. However, individuals may still be granted or denied passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s, promotions and other benefits based on information in their dang'an. According to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, "A black mark against you – a bad school report, a disagreement with your boss, a visit to a psychiatrist – all can travel with you for the rest of your life…" They are also used in investigations by the Ministry of State Security
Ministry of State Security
The Ministry of State Security is the security agency of the People's Republic of China...
.
Limitations of the dang'an system
An embryonic dang'an is created when individuals enter the school system. This is similar to the permanent file of a school student in some Western school systems, and is transferred from school to school, but is required for entry to university or a work unitWork unit
A work unit or danwei is the name given to a place of employment in the People's Republic of China. While the term danwei remains in use today it is more properly used to refer to a place of employment during the period when the Chinese economy was still more heavily socialist or when used in the...
, to which the file is then transferred. Millions of peasants, who work on family farms and small businesses, never acquire a dang'an. Those who do are classified as either cadres (Chinese: ganbu) or workers (Chinese: gōngrén). It is difficult to cross this boundary.
According to Zhou, "private and foreign-funded enterprises are no longer required to receive the dang'an when they hire employees." Instead, foreign firms transfer them to the Ministry of Commerce
Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation is an executive agency of the State Council of China...
.
The future of dang'an was questioned by Qiao Shi
Qiao Shi
Qiao Shi is a politician in the People's Republic of China. He was born as Jiang Zhitong , to parents of Dinghai, Zhejiang province ancestry. He is said to be distantly related to Chiang Kai-shek's family and this was the cause for the persecution he suffered during the Cultural Revolution...
, P.R.China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's number three leader in the mid-90s. In 1996, he proposed to the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
that the dang'an system be abolished. Both Qiao and the proposal fell out of favour the following year.
Influence in US culture
The US education activist John Taylor GattoJohn Taylor Gatto
John Taylor Gatto is a retired American school teacher with nearly 30 years experience in the classroom, and author of several books on education...
frequently refers to dang'an in his critique of the US school system.