The Beijing municipal government recently issued a guideline for deepening hukou (household registration) reform, which says the capital will abolish the rural and urban hukou system, and implement a unified registration system. In the future the capital's residents will be registered just as Beijing residents.

The guideline also says a new set of education, medical and healthcare, employment, social security, housing, land and demographic systems will be established in accordance with the unified hukou system.

Experts said the Beijing hukou reform will pave the way for equitable public services in urban and rural areas. The reform will ensure Beijing's rural residents get better social welfare, old-age support and medical treatment. For instance, at present urban residents' basic medical insurance can cover both outpatient and inpatient treatment, but rural residents insurance covers only inpatient treatment. This will no longer be the case.

Thirty municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, including Beijing, have launched hukou reform.

One of the most important issues of public concern is whether the cancellation of rural hukou means rural residents have to give up their right to homestead and farms.

Zhu Lijia, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said a unified household registration system doesn't mean rural residents will be deprived of their property. Land reform will also be implemented in accordance with the hukou reform to protect rural residents' rights and interests.