Mental Health, Migration and the Chinese Mega-City

Duration: 01/16 - 12/18

The growth of Chinese cities, accelerated by internal migration, poses considerable challenges for urban citizens. Mental health, Migration and the Chinese Mega-city looks at the complex issues facing migration populations in Shanghai, in particular access to public services, and their implications for mental wellbeing.

Drawing on a review of the existing literature and an extensive process of first-hand data collection through interviews with migrant residents in Shanghai, the project will develop a detailed street-level picture of urban life for the city’s migrants. Bringing together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, the findings will integrate the fields of mental health and urban studies, significantly expanding current knowledge on the links between cities and mental illness.

The outputs of the research will support the development of targeted policies to improve mental health outcomes in today’s cities, with relevant findings for other countries experiencing similar challenges.

Mental Health, Migration and the Chinese Mega-city project update (January 2016 – January 2017)

Nick Manning (Principal Investigator, Professor)
Ash Amin (Chair)
Anna Boermel (Lecturer)
Des Fitzgerald (Co-Investigator)
Fu Hua (Professor and Deputy Dean)
Gao Junling (Lecturer)
Dai Junming (Associate Professor)
Zeng Qingzhi
Nikolas Rose (Professor)
He Yangling

Fudan University
King’s College London
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Detailed historical, sociological and ethnographic survey of migration and mental health in Shanghai.

Series of publications, including think pieces, policy briefings and a review paper.

Major end-of-project conference in Shanghai to disseminate research findings.

The Urban Brain at the Brocher Foundation
25 February 2019

Living through uncertainty – experiencing urban transformation in a migrant neighbourhood of suburban Shanghai
5 April 2018

Urban transformations in China
22 September 2016