In contemporary rural China,migrant workers in urban areas have rapidly increased with the continuous growth of the economy,especially in coastal metropolitan regions.In China’s costal regions,the economic condition is prosperous; however,the mountainous areas in these regions,which have less-favored conditions,are experiencing a socio-economic transformation and have been negatively affected by an outflow of migrant workers.This study attempts to clarify why the migrant phenomenon happened and what the most important factor is when migrant workers choose cities and jobs.It focuses on the cause of the increase of migrant workers,the socio-economic features of migrant workers,and the changes the increase has caused in the household economy.Finally,it analyzes migrant workers’ working behavior from the viewpoint of their choice of destination and workplace.The author examined a village in the northern region of Fujian province.This province is located in a coastal region and is experiencing strong economic growth.The main research methods used were a questionnaire survey and an investigation of all the households in the village.The study area boasts plenty of farmers who produce rice for self-sufficiency and who are involved in the forestry and construction industries,as well.Other villagers are engaged in small factories that process bamboo and lumber.However,small-scale farming and non farm employment are not sufficient to sustain the household economy.This lack of employment opportunity led to a sharp increase of migrant workers,especially males aged 20-30 years old.The outflow of workers caused changes in cultivated land management,uneven distribution of household income,and the involvement of female workers in the local labor market.The selection of destination is determined not only by the workers’ personal networks but also by regional economic growth and abundant employment opportunities.Migrant workers mainly choose intra-provincial cities and inter-provincial cities that are less developed.Migrant workers who are more affected by regional economic growth and job opportunities tend to work at inter-provincial cities that are highly developed in job opportunities.Migrant workers’ job-hunting strategies are classified according to destination,the socio-economic features of migrant workers,and so on.The different industries and type of jobs the workers find are classified according to the workers’ educational status and whether or not they own a technical license.The increasing number of people leaving the coastal mountainous village in search of work has transformed the rural landscape dramatically.In the future,when these migrant workers settle in the cities,this village may face a depopulation problem similar to those that have befallen Japan’s mountain villages.