Tianjin initiative illustrates difficulty of attracting suitable applicants

On May 16, the Tianjin government announced that people age 40 or younger with bachelor's degrees would be allowed to register for hukou in the city without having a job or owning property. The move was part of a drive to attract more young people to the northern port municipality.

Within 20 hours of the announcement, about 300,000 people had applied online, while many lined up overnight to hand in registration documents, according to the Tianjin Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

However, the policy backfired to a certain extent as the city received applications from people who had no intention of moving to Tianjin.