The only ones:how China's single-child policy doubled the agony of parents

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Under the one-child policy, imposed in 1979 as a way of reining in population growth already running at dangerously high levels in the world's most populous nation, most families are limited to one child. The worst natural disaster to hit China in 30 years has brought the spotlight to bear on one of the country's most controversial policies of social engineering, and highlighted how this policy puts unbearable pressure on many families in contemporary China.

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Li Chunyan, 16, was one of the victims and her mother's grief is all the more poignant because the One Child Policy means that she, and many of the thousands of dead students in Sichuan, were the only children. And, being teenagers, means that for many families, there will be no more children. Chinese leave it late to have babies because they want to welcome their offspring into a stable environment. When your teenage children die, you are left alone.

The children of the One Child Policy era are cosseted and adored like youngsters nowhere else, because entire generations have their ambitions focused on the single child. Boys are known as "Little Emperors" and are generally surrounded by swooning aunts, uncles and grandparents, all of whom are ready to spend their life savings on giving this one child the best possible education and anything else he desires.

The One Child Policy is often viewed in the West as an attack on human rights, but there is growing debate about the policy in China too. The Beijing government reckons that since the policy was introduced, more than 400 million births have been prevented. The government says it has successfully slowed population growth to about 10 million people a year and there is now an average birth rate of 1.8 children per couple in China, compared to six children when it was introduced. In a country where famine is still in living memory, there were fears that the ever-rising birth rate would put too much strain on already-stretched resources.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-only-ones-how-chinas-singlechild-policy-doubled-the-agony-of-parents-828306.html

Dear Eating! "Evil communists!" part was an irony. I wanted to reveal what kind of an image of China some media groups try to create. You couldn't have understood completely because of your insufficiency of english language(this is no offend either :) )

i was born in 1983 in China, experiencing the one-child policy. last century, chinese population increases heavily, the generation of my grandpa, each couple may often have 4 children, in some family, the number could exceed 10. timely one-child policy make it possible for many families to raise their children with high quality, not only eat well, but also get good education. China has its own situation, limited area with too many population, as well as low productivity. Such a policy means stability of current China. and quarter of world's population means possible stability of the whole world.

The advantage is obvious, yet a lot of troubles ensue. people of  middle age are getting older. and less working poeple need to care for much more old citizens. tragedy like earthquake in sichuan is another example. Chinese people have very strong phyle concept. first generation of one-child policy are facing marriage age. Although if both man and women come from one-child family, they can have two children according to birth policy, yet economic burden makes it impossible for most newly family. it will cost a lot to raise a child. most family choose to have still one child. However, both husband and wife family want to get their surname get extended. this is a contradiction. this is an inverse triangle structure of family. for a newly couple, they must take on all the cost of four old ascendants and one offspring as well as themselves two, totally 7 people. our government may give some assistance, which is limited. Especially for countryside family, old citizens mostly have no endowment insurance.

progression:  O0o   不好意思啦

Progression, you are giving a fresh look to the topic.

Mass media often give one-sided coverage of events. Sometimes they just support some popular idea (for ex.: communists are evil). It has nothing to do with telling lies, but I would still call it brainwashing.

As for our case, it proves that "Red Fear" is still wandering across western minds, and they don't fail to cast a stone at a communistic government. 

I have encountered some news on TV regarding this issue.According to the news,the demographic balance has already broken that there is impending danger for Chinese society.

Oh so I see almost everybody is against this make-do policy. But can any one suggest a better (even if a temporary) preventive measure to check the "Population Explosion" that pinches the national economy so much.

L eave China and just have a look at its neigbour India. India is officially No.2 in World in terms of population and a recent NGO report sugggests that it would overtake China within a span of 4 years!

Just bear in mind that Indian Government was the first Government ever to introduce birth control operation (I mean '<i>surgical</i>'. The person undergoing the operation doesn't have to pay any fee. Instead he/she gets allowance, free insurance and a Nokia 1600. Now beat that! 

But still this 'Voluntary' things wont do. While education is the long term way imposing is the most effective seeing that even educated families may have more than one child. Here there is a proverb "Eka pua re asha- nai kulia chasha" That means having only a single child is just like farming on the bank of a flooding river.

The doomsday clock is ticking…unless our Govt. takes no step like its Chinese counterpart I think India alone will have more people than the rest of world combined. The last census shows India constitutes 2% of world landmass while its people constitute 16%. Isn't that grave?