Population Control in China
By Hong Liu (Special Correspondent)
Overpopulation in China has been much documented within the past 50 years. Although population growth has been curtailed by government measures, the population of 1.3 billion people is still much larger then anyone imagined possible. The population Control policy was begun in 1979 and until now it has decreased over two hundred million people during the last twenty-seven years. The one-child-per-couple policy seems most successful for the well-educated and least successful in remote, poverty-ridden rural or mountainous areas. Even though the policy has some negative consequences I believe that it will bring benefits to Chinese for a long period of time in future.
The increasing population mainly happened in rural and mountainous parts of China. One reason is that rural people believe in the proverbs such as “ many sons bring much riches.” This indicates the extent to which the desire for multi-child families is ingrained in Chinese culture. But the reality is totally different. More children lead to more poverty in a family and unequal education. The one-child-per-couple policy in rural areas will keep them from having to feed more than one child. Thus, every family will have more time and enough money to educate the child and give him/her a higher quality of life. This is more important than increasing the quantity.
Another major problem resulting from overpopulation is population density—and the shortage of space. Now approximately 126 people live on each square kilometer of China’s territory. That is three times the world average of 43 persons per square kilometer. That means that our livelihood’s space is more limited and cramped. For example, in my memory there were more than 50 classmates in a class from elementary school to high school. When I attended an English training school in Beijing, a class included more than 500 classmates and I had to watch a TV monitor to read what the teacher wrote. Everybody lives in narrow space and that will totally limited our development. On the other hand, more population will consume more natural resources and produce more pollution. This results more cutting trees, and producing more and more coal and oil.
Of course, the population policy has caused some negative consequences since 1979. Because of the cultural and economic incentives for male children, female children are more likely to be aborted and become victims of infanticide. In 1993, there were 1166 boys born for every girl. In 1995, there were 1213. This will Leading to a population of many unmarried men in China, some bad people abducted girls to sell to other remote villages to unmarried man. The society phenomenon is beginning to increase now. Another issue is the population aging and supporting the elderly. Based on United Nations statistics and data provided by the Chinese government, it was estimated in 2000, the population over 60 years old would number 0.2 billion or 10.1 percent of the total population. 25 percent of China’s population (3.5 billion) would be age 65 or older by the year 2040. That means that at that time our society will suffer big pressure to feed these old people, young people will support old people, and social financial system and welfare system will face more challenges and extremely pressure, indeed.
The population control policy of the one-child-per-couple is unique in the world. It has been working out according to China’s real circumstance and Chinese’s values. (Included the ethics, morals, definition of freedom, etc) Some other countries or people talking about the policy describe it as bloody, murder and can’t understand why the government is so cruel to deal with people. I just want to give you an example to explain that, there was a student democracy activity in spring, 1989. Beijing. Unaccountable Chinese went to the street, to Tian-An-Men square to fight government corruption, autocracy, requiring news-free, they hold different posters and flags to express dissatisfaction with the government, but no matter how many board or flags you can see in the street, not one Chinese hold flags to protest population control policy. Why? Because every Chinese felt the real painful truth of population pressure, everyday, every year. They want to have a better life, a higher life quality. However, a huge population really made every Chinese upset. All what I can say is that the population policy is indeed planted in every person’s mind.
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The Int. Eye Winter 2007 
March 18, 2007 at 10:01 pm |
Over-population of the world is truly a difficult situation. I commend China for the one child per family policy as painful as it may be. Other countries need to form their own policies regarding overpopulation as the earth can only house and feed so many people.
Thank you for your article.
May 13, 2007 at 1:42 am |
Thank you for your article. I’m doing a research paper on the subject of the One-Child Policy and it helped me out. =]
April 8, 2009 at 2:27 pm |
Wow, thank you so much for posting this. It really helped me a lot on my paper that i was writing. i couldnt fing anything on the other sites i went to.
April 20, 2009 at 6:35 am |
If the earth is to survive at all, then every country must follow China’s brave example of self control (yes, painful) and have one baby or less per person. In the USA, we are “addicted to newborns” and ignore our elderly and even our school age children while producing more babies each year. I have a daughter and she has zero. we love kids and believe there must be food and housing for each and every person born. this will not happen at the rate we are multiplying.
Thank you for explaining what life is like in China, and why no one protested this hard policy. Thank you for your article.
March 18, 2010 at 8:40 pm |
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