Abstract: To clarify the question of “how many farmers are there in China” is the basis for a deep understanding of China's national conditions,especially the composition of rural society,and benefits for a reasonable construction of rural revitalization plans.There are three effective angles to analyze the scale of Chinese farmers,including the occupation,the area and the household registration.However,the criteria of classifying “farmers'” has been relatively chaotic for a long time.The statements of “800 million farmers” and “900 million farmers” have been misused for a long time,which is accompanied by over-interpretation of the phenomenon of “difficulty for impoverished families to cultivate outstanding children”,“class solidification” and “hollowing out of rural population”.In accordance with the “three-circle structure” composed of the agricultural laborers,the rural population and the rural household registered population,it is necessary to shape the scientific judgment about the exact scale of “farmers” with different meanings,and to understand a series of regular changes.Furthermore,by further expanding the urban entrance of rural population transfer,the government should take measures to consolidate the rural institution foundation of population transfer,and further break the dual social structure,in order to promote the steady transfer of rural population and the urbanization of agricultural transfer population,to gradually reduce the differences of “three-circle structure”,and to eliminate the misunderstandings about farmers and its scale.In the future,it would be beneficial to the social harmony as well as the transformation and optimization of China's urban and rural governance structure.

Key words: “three-circle structure”, agricultural laborers, rural population, rural household registered population, urban and rural governance