Siblings

Growing up in Taiwan and the West, you take certain things for granted, like having siblings. I had this conversation in China:

Them - I'm going to visit my older sister (姐姐) in Shanghai and hang out with my younger sister (妹妹). Also, my brother (弟弟) just had a baby.

Me - Oh, how many siblings do you have?

Them - [pause] Uh, none.

Me - But you just said sister/brother...

Them - I meant cousins. No one has actual brothers and sisters, unless you're from a rich family and can afford the fine.

I had completely forgotten about the "One Child Policy" which was implemented in 1979. It may have looked good on paper, but has resulted in forced abortions and sterilization in some areas. In the cities, if you have money, you can either pay a fine for additional children or bribe local officials. Also, since we're talking about Chinese people, if you can only have one child, you'd better make sure it's a boy. In some places, the boy/girl ratio is as high as 140:100. It's going to be harder and harder for them to find wives when they grow up. Good thing there are not a lot of white guys in China, unlike UCLA. :)

Another problem is that an entire generation in China has grown up without experiencing the sibling relationship. Almost everyone I know has siblings and I can't imagine growing up without my sister and extended family. Following the policy, the next generation in China won't even have uncles/aunts and cousins.

[snip]