From Asia Times:

The rate of income growth of farmers has been falling ever since the late 1990s. Statistics indicate that the rural net income per capita increased by a meager 695.9 yuan (US$84) in the seven years between 1997 and 2003, while the urban net income per capita jumped by over 3,480 yuan during the same period, double the annual growth rate. As a result of this difference in growth rates, the income disparity between urban and rural residents officially reached 3.2 to 1 in 2003, and many observers have warned that the growing income gap between urban and rural residents will jeopardize social stability.