多少孩子: How many children?

UIBE, 29ºC, thunderstorms

My meeting with my language partner today was particularly interesting. At each language partner meeting, I glean a great deal about Chinese life and culture. At the same time, I tell 李钱 my language partner about the equivalent situation in both the US and the UK. 李钱 has never left China before, and so by our cultural exchange through conversation, I share details of other cultures while 李钱 she helps my Chinese progress.

Today’s theme prompted a discussion about family, and led to the politically controversial 计划生育政策 one-child policy. Having heard about this policy, and having met very few Chinese people with siblings (those all being from wealthy background), I made the mistake of assuming that this policy meant that families could only have one child, otherwise they would face fines or other castigatory measures. Wrong.

李钱 explained how there are a number of exceptions. For one, rural couples are exempt. So are ethnic minorities and parents who have no siblings themselves. That being said, those who live in large cosmopolitan cities are likely to be subject to this policy. It turns out that couples and families who fall within the jurisdiction of the 计划生育政策 one child policy sometimes find ways to circumnavigate the rules: children born in Hong Kong, Tibet or Macau do not counts as your “one child”. Likewise, those born abroad in places like the US are excluded. This loophole had led to a good number of pregnant women flying to one of these places to give birth. 李钱 described these as “aeroplane babies”, a funny term, but one that rather succinctly describes the nature of the place of birth.

Of course, though this loophole may exist, this whole exploit costs far more than the mean income in China, and so only the well-off or the most determined can follow through with such a grand plan. Although Chinese officials claim that this policy has prevented some 250 million births, children, predominantly girls, are still regularly being put up for adoption – the one child policy still limits the average Chinese family.