Hukou Locality and Intermarriages in Two Chinese Cities: Shanghai and Shenzhen

China's household registration system (hukou) has created an institutional boundary for the social integration of migrants, but few studies have explored if hukou barriers vary by city. We investigate the value of hukou locality in Shanghai and Shenzhen by comparing their patterns of intermarriage between locals and migrants. We hypothesize that levels of intermarriage reflect the rigidity of the hukou barrier-the likelihood of intermarriage is lower and tradeoffs for local hukou are higher if one city has more stringent hukou policies than the other. Using data from the 2005 mini-census, we find support for our hypothesis. Shanghai, in which internal migrants in China find it most difficult to secure local hukou, exhibits lower levels of intermarriage and lower levels of hukou locality-education exchange between locals and migrants compared to Shenzhen. The findings suggest that the decentralization of China's hukou system and subsequent varying hukou policies have made hukou locality an increasingly salient factor in shaping migrants' integration and social inequaltiy.