Based on the national census data since 1982, combined with the methods and indicators such as migration participation rate, visibility of floating population, distribution of floating population, and interprovincial migration flow, this paper comprehensively summarizes the spatial development of floating population from the perspectives of departure areas, destination areas, and flow directions. Meanwhile, the paper further discusses the evolution and recent characteristics of China's migration transition based on the gender structure, age structure, educational structure, urban and rural structure, the separation of living place and household registration, the migration of ethnic minorities, and the situation of crossborder migration. The results show that high population mobility has become the new normal of China's population characteristics. The process of migration transition varies across different regions, while some regions has already entered a new phase of migration transition. During the past 40 years, the internal structure of China's floating population has changed rapidly, and the new characteristics have started to emerge. China's migration transition has been and will continue to be a comprehensive, multi-level, and diversified process.

The low spatial population mobility has been the demographic characteristic of Rural China for thousands of years. In the past 40 years, China has experienced and is experiencing the transition from a Rural China with few migrations to a Migrating China with large-scale and high-frequency migrations. The historical transition from the Rural era to the Migration era is realized in a short period of 40 years, which has its internal mechanism, including the reform of the land system, the change of population structure, the development of urban market economy and the loosening of migration policies. This will enable high population spatial mobility to be continued into a long time in the future. In adjusting to a Migrating China, relevant cultural construction and cultural adaptation play an important role. It is necessary to gradually move from a Static Culture adapted to Rural China for thousands of years to a Dynamic Culture adapted to Migrating China.