Solo parents (Survey on the First Generation of Solo Parents in China)

Author: Chen Jianqiang, Lu Lin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Human memory is not infallible. Some things leave traces in our minds, while others fade like passing clouds. However, two major events that occurred over 20 years ago should not be forgotten. One is the China's Reform and Opening Up, which changed the fate of hundreds of millions of Chinese people; the other is China's one-child policy, which altered the traditional family structures of hundreds of millions of Chinese. Time is a river, and from one shore to the other, the small boat of memory has sailed through more than 20 years. Let's return to 1979. Shanghai officially began issuing one-child certificates that year, making it the first city in China to implement the family planning policy. Over 20 years have passed, and the once-only children have now grown into adults, like a lush green field laid bare before us. This generation is mostly around 27 or 28 years old. Some have married and started families, while others, though not yet married, have reached the age of marriage and childbearing. How are they doing now? Are there any so-called "deficiencies" in their personalities? Are they growing up healthily? Are they truly "independent"? For questions like these, debates both in China and abroad have never ceased. The Only-Child Parents addresses these lingering doubts with detailed information, vivid language, and an engaging narrative style, offering a unique perspective on the issue. This is quite reassuring. As far as I know, books specifically focused on "only-child parents" and delving into the lives of this new generation are not very common. The authors of this book—one a scholar who has long studied the phenomenon of only-children and their parents, and the other a member of the Writers' Association—form a combination that is clearly more conducive to reflecting the unique theme of the writing. Of course, this combination also reflects the creativity of the publishing industry. Regarding the concept of "only-child parents," there is no need for me to say more; this book has vividly illustrated it with numerous character portrayals. However, what particularly caught my attention is that the traditional family model, which has endured for thousands of years, is gradually changing and being replaced by the new family model constructed by only-child parents. In the next 10 years, with the birth of the second generation of only-children, the new family model of the first-generation only-child parents raising the second generation will exceed 10 million. We can imagine that we are now the era of the first-generation only-child parents raising the second generation. Currently, the first-generation only-children have "graduated" into first-generation only-child parents, and this is a new national condition we must take seriously. We must be clear about our shared responsibility with society. Life is like a millstone, grinding rough edges into smoothness, scattering into order. The first-generation only-child parents of China, through the grinding of life, have gradually matured. Reading them, I believe we are reading a complete era, reading the demographic chain of contemporary China that connects the past and the future. In the history of human reproduction from ancient times to the present, this is a very important page, sparkling with the wisdom of the Chinese nation. The publisher asked me to write a few words for The Only-Child Parents, and I am delighted to take up the task. I have written the above, which serves as the preface. The Only-Child Parents opens up new horizons for readers. I believe that readers, like me, will love this book.