Confusion about the changes in China
One-child policy
RavenThorn
raventhorn2000@yahoo.com
2001/03/19 16:11:47

I\'m a native of Shanghai. I\'m the only child of my parents. I was born in 1972, back when the 1 child policy was not even in place, and my parents followed it as a recommendation, because they were very progressive and did not believe in a large family. My mom had 4 brothers and sisters, and my father had 7, so I had a huge extended family, thus there was no need for brothers and sisters, as I had many cousins, whom I saw regularly.

And I have been in the US since 1985.

As for pampering, yes, I was very pampered as a child, but I was also expected to take care of myself very often, for I had no brothers who would fight for me in public, and the Chinese education system is highly competitive, no amount of parental pampering can shield a child from that kind of brutal competition.

As for self-absorbed, yes, but I suspect that has more to do with my American education than anything else.

As for the coping with others and the scheming for dreams of conquest, I suspect many kids in the world do that.

For me, I grew up watching other less fortunate children of my homeland suffering in a poor but proud country.

I lived through rationing in the 1970\'s, I saw the Gang of Four go on trial on TV.

My people are driven to try to do their best for ourselves. All mistakes and successes of our past 4100 years of history bear markings of our own individual and collective visions.

The 1 child policy is necessary. Whatever the consequences, some 100\'s of millions of \"little emperors\" will have to learn to cope with each other as I did.

But I suspect, the coping problems are not new in this generation and China will survive it much better than it survived the Cultural Revolution.