Two fictitious Chinese brothers are born in Tuanjiehu Maternity Hospital in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Let’s say the first was born already, in late 2015; his parents nickname him Laoda, meaning “oldest child.” That’s because they have hopes for a second, who it turns out will be born in 2017; his parents will nickname him Lao’er, meaning “second child.” That Lao’er will
As of January 1, all married couples in China are now allowed to have a second child without penalty. When, in October, word spread that China’s government would end its longstanding one-child policy, Xiaoran Zhang posed the following questions to a group of Chinese reporters, scholars, and other observers who have spent time in the United States. She compiled the responses
Regional family-planning officials say the lack of clarity on when the new two-child rule will come into effect has put them in legal limbo, unable to issue birth permits to couples who conceive a second child before the new policy kicks in, leading to “illegal births” even after the policy shift.The ruling Communist Party decided to abolish the controversial one-child rule in