One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment
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By Mei Fong
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1 review
For over three decades, China exercised unprecedented control over the reproductive habits of its billion citizens. Now, with its economy faltering just as it seemed poised to become the largest in the world, the Chinese government has brought an end to its one-child policy. It may once have seemed a shortcut to riches, but it has had a profound effect on society in modern China.
Combining personal portraits of families affected by the policy with a nuanced account of China’s descent towards economic and societal turmoil, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mei Fong reveals the true cost of this most controversial of policies. Drawing on eight years spent documenting its repercussions, she reveals a dystopian legacy of second children refused documentation by the state, only children supporting their parents and grandparents, and villages filled with ineligible bachelors. An exceptional piece of on-the-ground journalism, One Child humanizes the policy that defined China and warns that the ill-effects of its legacy will be felt across the globe.
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Folio Group, Doncaster:
The book highlights the dangers of being blinded by science - in this case, the ill thought out ideas of a handful of rocket scientists who persuaded the Chinese government to embark on such a disastrous policy of social engineering. The imposition of the One Child policy shaped the lives and life chances of every single Chinese citizen between 1980 - 2015, and despite being recently abolished, the disastrous human, social, and economic repercussions are likely to be felt for many decades to come. The greater tragedy would appear to be that, in the end, this policy was completely unnecessary given the natural modern world instinct to limit family size. Mei Fong’s book moves relatively skilfully between the hard facts (a little over-repetitive at times) and the human tragedies. I quite liked the interplay with Mei Fong’s own experience with fertility issues, although some members of our book group didn’t. Very interesting. Well worth the read. My score 7/10
A fascinating insight into how a nation's solution to a problem created an even greater one. The one child policy has proved disastrous on every level.
8/10
This is not an easy read but I found it fascinating. The basic information I already knew but the ramifications of the programme are immense and it was thinking about these and the effects on the international situation which was really surprising. Also the huge amount of exploitation seemingly unchecked was quite horrifying. I needed to read it to the end.
8/10
The book describes the Chinese government's 'one child' policy, which ran from 1980 until just recently. The policy started due to the problem of lifting a vastly expanding workforce out of poverty - the basic aim was 'fewer births, swifter prosperity' - and was harshly imposed by an authoritarian government via its population police. Much of the book is about the effects of the policy, apart from the obvious one of producing a vast amount of one child families. These effects included gender imbalance (lots of surplus men), age imbalance (number of retirees catching up with number of workers), the slowing of economic growth due to lack of labour and cruelty and corruption in the enforcement of the policy. The book contains masses of detail and the author raises lots of issues and it is clearly written. I found it retained my interest although it was not exactly an enjoyable read.
7/10
