The one-child policy is a subject that fascinates, and repulses, many foreigners. Especially those that haven’t been to China. Once you arrive in China, and experience firsthand the enormity of the population and the challenges it presents for both the people and the government, many foreigners become a little more sympathetic towards the policy, if not some its effects – gender gaps, kidnappings, forced abortions and the creation of an egocentric generation of “little emperors.”

We’ve run several articles from a variety of sources on the one-child policy and they have attracted spirited discussion and debate. Kidnappers swoop on China's girls provoked a thoughtful response on the reporting on China’s birth control policies and where the real fault for abortions and gender gaps may lie. A survey translated from a popular Chinese forum entitled Should China Continue the One Child Policy? elicited responses across the spectrum arguing for or against it’s continuation for personal or economic reasons. Another translated article on The Five Stupid Questions Foreigners Ask Chinese sparked a firestorm of serious and sarcastic responses pertaining to the one-child policy.

Please for the sake of your country, use birth control
Photo and translation: Planet Love

The one-child policy was initiated, as a temporary measure, by Deng Xiaoping in 1979, as a way to ease the socio-economic problems stemming from the size of China’s population – at that time China had one quarter of the world’s people and only seven percent of the world’s arable land. The title of the policy literally translates as the “policy of birth planning.” In 1979, two thirds of the population were under 30 and officials worried a rapidly growing population could endanger improvement to living standards and overall reform. The Chinese government estimates that from 1979 to 2000, the policy lessened population growth by 250 million people. Still, China is expected to have a population of at least 1.6 billion by 2050. Though the implementation of the policy has been controversial, both in and out of China, according to a 2008 Pew Research Center poll, 76% percentage of Chinese support the policy. However, the survey we translated from a popular online forum found a very different response – 85% of those that participated were against maintaining the policy.

There is often the impression that the policy governs all Chinese. In fact, according to a Committee on the One-Child Policy spokesperson, the restrictions only apply to 35.9% of China’s population. Residents of Macao and Hong Kong are exempt, and many of China’s rural areas, home to 70% of the population, are also exempt or under more relaxed restrictions.

Now, the reach of the policy may be shrinking further as Shanghai, in an effort to address the challenges of its rapidly aging population, is changing its birth control policies to reflect the new socio-economic realities and encouraging citizens to have two children. We asked you…

Shanghai is relaxing the one-child policy, why shouldn't the rest of China do the same

Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your perspective in the comments section below.

I think relaxing the one-child policy is worth considering. The policy as it stands effects mainly the middle class. I work at an expensive private school and the majority of my students are not only children, because their wealthy parents simply pay the fines imposed for having more children. I don't think that the policy was ever intended to create a system where the very wealthy could pay to have more kids, but in practice this is what is happening. When party policies only widen gaps and foster resentment between classes then this would seems to counter the intentions of this country's founding fathers.
J / USA

It is forbidden to discriminate against, mistreat or abandon baby girls.
Photo and translation: David Cowhig

Because there's too many goddamn people here that's why.
R / USA

China's population problem has always been about the base number, not annual growth rate. Meanwhile the situation varies massively from urban areas to suburbs – in cities like Shanghai there's been a serious trend of late pregnancy or even going on without a child in the family, while in certain less-developed areas families are having at least two kids to help with work/income and, later with reproductions. The thing is (and it's not uncommon in other cities just like Shanghai), more elite the people are, the less desire they have for staying home for babies instead of pursuing a career. That's why Shanghai's doing what she's doing here. As with less-developed families, well you can't force your way into their homes to lecture them, so the best thing to do might be to give them a better life with perhaps a better sense of the situation.
I / China

The rest of China should definitely follow Shanghai’s example. The one-child policy has hindered China’s economic growth and resulted in a situation where women face horrible oppression when they’re pregnant and female children face discrimination and brutal inequality when they’re grown. It’s time to stop pretending the economic reasons justify this inhumane policy.
G / UK

China’s one-child policy currently only affects urban residents. Farmers and peasants can have as many children as they want but there are not enough jobs and so more people come to the cities every year. Maybe Shanghai should not encourage more children but, instead, allow more Chinese with rural hukou to become Shanghai citizens.
X / China

***

Related Links

Should China Continue the One Child Policy? - Survey
More Kids, More Careers: Relax the One-child Policy?
Graying Shanghai encourages couples to have 2 kids

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.