Keywords: resident identity card, database, work history, educational background, police record, employment, driver license, education, marriages, household registrations, legal cases
 

Jumin Shenfenzheng or the Resident Identity Card is the official form of personal identification in the People's Republic of China.

History
Prior to 1984, citizens within the People's Republic of China were not required to obtain or carry identification in public. On April 6, 1984, the State Council of the People's Republic of China passed the "Identity Card Bill", commencing the process of gradual introduction of personal identification, in the footsteps of many developed countries at the time. The first generation identification cards were single paged cards made of polyester film.

On September 6, 1985, the National People's Congress Standing Committee passed the "Identity Card Bill of the People's Republic of China", which regulated that all citizens over the age of 16 apply for identification cards. At that point, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China created a unified authority responsible for the issuing and management of the ID cards. From 2003, it is reported that a total of 1.14 billion ID cards have been created in China, for a total of 960,000,000 holders. However, as a result of technological development and certain techniques made available to the civilian population, the existing cards became relatively easier to counterfeit, opening the increasing threat of false identification.

On June 28, 2003, the National People's Congress passed the new "Resident Identity Card Law", which expanded the scope of documents issued, and allowed soldiers in the People's Liberation Army and members of the People's Armed Police to apply for special identity cards. The law also established the use of newer, second-generation cards, which are machine-readable and more difficult to forge.

Contents
The identity card contains basic information regarding the individual, such as the following: full name, gender, date of birth, domicile, ethnicity, identification number, photo of the individual.

Information stored in the identity database for biometric ID cards documents information such as work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status, landlord's phone number and personal reproductive history.

The dimensions of the second-generation cards are 85.725 mm×53.975 mm×0.900 mm, and the identity photo is sized at 358x441 pixels (width by height), printed at a resolution of 350dpi on RGB using 24-bit True Color, prepared using JPEG compression techniques in line with the requirements of ISO DIS 10918-1. The final image appears as a 26 mm × 32 mm portrait box in the top-right hand corner.

Usage of Identification
Citizens within the People's Republic of China must carry identification in public at all times, compulsory from the age of 16. The identity card is the only acceptable legal document to obtain resident permit, employment, open bank accounts, obtain passport, driver license, application for tertiary education and technical colleges, security checkpoints in domestic terminals of Chinese airports. Documentation is also required for marriages, household registrations and legal cases.

Recently, there have been more services that require the display of identification cards, such as at Internet cafes and certain stores.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Identity_Card#Identity_card_number