In contemporary China, two kinds of mobility are particularly noteworthy: the acceleration of population mobility and the slowing down of social mobility. The former has energized China’s socio-economic development, partially breaking down the country’s urban–rural structural duality; it has also, to some extent, facilitated China’s social mobility, with elites from the countryside entering the cities and those from the interior flowing to the coast, bringing about a differentiated mix of social classes. However, as Chinese society matures, the threshold to access various upward paths has become increasingly higher, whilst opportunities for social mobility have become increasingly scarce.