Social Engineering: Chinas One-Child Policy

Paul Heinemann Senior Division Individual Website

Secondary Sources Akbar, Arifa. "Mao's Great Leap Forward 'killed 45 Million in Four Years'" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 17 Sept. 2010. Web. This source was an article written on the website of The Independent, a daily British national newspaper. The article gives a brief history of The Great Chinese Famine and explains why it was one of effects of Chinas attitude that a large population would be beneficial. This article helped me gain some background information on Chinas attitude towards population growth in the mid 20th century and helped me understand why that attitude changed. It did a good job of illustrating an event that was a negative effect of population growth in China. I classified it as a secondary source because it was written decades after the event happened. Bhanoo, Sindya N. "Study Measures Impact of China's One-Child Policy." New York Times. N.p., 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. This recent article from The New York Times explains a study on only children in China that was just released by Monash University in Australia. The article includes the how the study was conducted and explains that the children with no siblings showed poor social skills in comparison to the children who were born before the policy. The article gave me some information about how people in China are affected socially by the policy. I classified it as a secondary source because it was an article written about the study rather than the study itself. Chen, Xuefeng. "The Social Impact of China's One-Child Policy." Harvard Asia Pacific Review (2003): 74-76. Web. This source is an article written by Dr. Xuefeng Chen, the Deputy Director of the Chinese Childrens Center in Beijing. The article studies the social impacts that having a generation of only-children will have on the children themselves. It was published in 2003 in the Harvard Asia Pacific Review, which is an academic journal that covers Asian issues. The article attempts to discover what positive and negative effects that growing up as only-children will have on Chinese children, by citing several studies done on onlychildren in China and elsewhere. The article does not state a definitive case as to whether the effects on Chinese children will be more positive or more negative, and it admits that it will be impossible to tell until the first generation of only-children in China become adults. However, it does present some interesting information compiled about onlychildren and gives some hypotheses on how being only children may affect the childrens social development, based on past research. I classified this article as a secondary source because it cited many other studies and analysis. "China's Emerging Migration Issue: Wife Hunting." Chinanews.net. N.p., 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. This source was a recent article on the Chinese news website chinanews.net. The article is about how many young Chinese men are migrating in search of wives because of the gender imbalance in China, which is a result of the one-child policy. The article cites various experts who explain the effects of this migration, such as the spread of disease and increased urban population. I used this article for its stats about the migration

of Chinese males and its interesting insight from experts on the law about how this migration will change China. I classified this as a secondary source because it cited statistics that were found in a report and quoted other documents written on the topic. Cook, Michael. "The Secret History of China's One-child Policy." Mercatornet. N.p., 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. This source is an article by Michael Cook, the editor of mercator.net, which is a website that writes about modern complexities. Cook, who has a BA from Harvard, writes about the story of Song Jian and Geert Jan Olsder, which is important in the history of the one-child policy. This article was the first place that I had heard of Jian and Olsder and it led to me doing more research about them and their story. It helped me to understand how China studied population at the time and made me interested in the obscure story of one of the scientists who first proposed the law. I classified it as a secondary source because it explained events that happened years ago. Greenhalgh, Susan. "History: "The Ideology Before the Science"" Just One Child. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 45-77. Print. This source is a chapter of Susan Greenhalghs book about the one-child policy. Susan Greenhalgh is a professor of anthropology at California University, and she has extensively studied the policy and its history. The chapter dealt with Chinas ideology towards population in the mid 20th century before explaining how that ideology changed. It also explained why many people believe the ideology behind the policy to be flawed and a violation of human rights. I classified this as a secondary source because it cited many primary sources, such as speeches by Chinese leaders, and it was an historical account of events that happened decades ago. Lam, Bouree. "The Academic Origins of China's One Child Policy." Freakonomics RSS. N.p., 04 Nov. 2011. Web. 08 Feb. 2013. This source was another article about the history of the one-child policy and Song Jian and Geert Jan Olsder. It was written on the website of Freakonomics, a partnership between economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen Dubner, who have written various books together and have a website and podcast that attempt to uncover the hidden side of everything. This article accompanied their audio podcast on the website, which is also one of my sources. The article went a little bit more in-depth about the specific story of Olsder and Jian as the podcast covered other stories that did not pertain to my topic. I used this to get more information about Song Jian and how he became an influential scientist in Chinese population studies. I classified this as a secondary source because it was written about historical events many years after they happened. McElroy, Wendy. "China's One-Child Disaster." The Freeman June 2008: 19-23. Web. This source is an article written in The Freeman, a magazine that promotes democratic ideals. The article argues that social engineering in general is not a good method for countries to fix overpopulation problems. Then, it gives a detailed overview of the one-child policy and states why the effects of it have been inhumane. The article was written in 2008 by Wendy McElroy, a Canadian author and activist. The unique

problems about the policy that are highlighted by McElroy gave me interesting hypotheses to further research. McElroys argument that the gender skewing created by the policy will create a generation of bachelors who cannot find wives, and her speculations about what that might mean for China were especially interesting as well. I classified it as a secondary source because it cited many other experts on the policys effects. "Peak Toil." Economist.com. The Economist Magazine, 26 Jan. 2013. Web. This recent article was in the print version of The Economist, a scholarly magazine, and was also posted online. The article is about how Chinas workforce is starting to shrink because of the demographic gap caused by the one-child policy. It first explains how the one-child policy had helped the economic state in China before giving information about Chinas shrinking work force and explaining how that will hurt the Chinese economy. I also used the graph that was included in the article in my website to show that 2012 was the first year that Chinas workforce had shrunk. This article is a secondary source because it is based on information gathered elsewhere. Roberts, Sam. "In 2025, India To Pass China In Population, U.S. Estimates. The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. This source is a short article from the New York Times about a United States Census Bureau projection that India will surpass China as the worlds largest country around 2025 because of Chinas smaller birth rate. It pertains to my topic because the Chinese birth rate has decreased as a result of the one-child policy. I classified it as a secondary source because it is an article about a US Census report rather than the report itself. Smil, Vaclav. "Chart of China's Population Growth Throughout History." Chart. China's Environmental Crisis. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. This source is a chart that shows the history of population growth in China dating back to the Han era. I found the chart online; however, it was originally published in Vaclav Smils book called Chinas Environmental Crisis. I used the chart to illustrate the vast population growth that occurred in China in the 20th century before the policy was introduced. I classified it as a secondary source because it appeared in a book about historical events. Primary Sources Aird, John S. "China: Human Rights Violations And Coercion In One Child Policy Enforcement." FDCH Congressional Testimony (n.d.): MAS Ultra - School Edition. 14 December 2004. This source is the congressional testimony of John Aird, a former Senior Research Specialist on China for the US Census Bureau. The testimony was before the Committee on International Relations in the House of Representatives. In this testimony, Aird talks about his findings on coercion in Chinas enforcement of the one-child policy. He includes many examples of the brutality used by enforcers of the law in China, one of which I quoted in my website. This testimony gave me a lot of information about why the

policy is unpopular in China and why it is considered to be a violation of human rights. I classified it as a primary source because it included Airds experiences in China and was testified before congress. Bette(r) Birth and Upbringing, Sturdily Growing Digital image. Chineseposters.net. Chinese Posters Foundation, n.d. Web. This source is a propaganda poster created by the Chinese government in the 1980s, several years after the policy was implemented. The poster depicts a healthy child and is meant to show that only children are healthier than those with siblings. I used the image in my website to show the governments belief that children born after the policy are normal and healthy. I classified it as a primary source because it was created by the Chinese government around the time of the one-child policy. Bingli, Zhao, vice minister of the State Family Planning Commission. "Family Planning Law and China's Birth Control Situation." Interview by Hu Huiting. China.org.cn. Chinese Government News Service, 18 Oct. 2002. Web. <http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Oct/46138.htm> This interview with Zhao Bingli, the vice minister of Chinas State Family Planning Commission, gives a government officials opinions on the effectiveness of Chinese family planning policies. It was conducted in 2002 by china.org.cn, the website of the Chinese Government News Service. The interview was conducted to allow Bingli to update the Chinese public on how well the government believes family planning policies are going and to let Bingli dispel common notions in other countries that the laws are inhumane. This source is important because it helps show why the government says they have implemented these laws. The fact that this interview was created for the Chinese public is also interesting because it shows the governments efforts to paint the effects of family planning laws as positive. An important section of the document is when Bingli is asked why he thinks some foreign media say the Chinese policies are inhumane. His response, defending the laws by saying the government has done all that they can to uphold human rights, helped me gain insight into how the Chinese government thinks family planning laws have been handled. I classified it as a primary source because it is an interview with a top official in China and it was on a website that is run by the Chinese government. Bureau of the Census. Center for Informational Research. United States of America. China's Family Planning Program: Inputs and Outcomes. By Judith Banister and Christina Wu Harbaugh. Web. This source is a 1994 report by the US Census about the demographic effects of Chinese family planning. It includes lots of statistics about demographics in China since the one-child policy, especially about the rise in abortions in China after the policy. I used this report to gain statistics that helped me to illustrate the demographic effects of the policy. I classified the report as a primary source because it was done by the government and includes raw data about the demographics of China during the years directly following the implementation of the policy. Carry Out Family Planning, Implement the Basic National Policy Digital image.

Chineseposters.net. Chinese Posters Foundation, n.d. Web. This source is a propaganda poster created by the Chinese government in the 1980s, several years after the policy was implemented. It shows a woman carrying her baby on her shoulder as beams of light shoot out from behind them in front of a futuristic background. It was made to promote the new one-child policy in China by showing that it would lead China to prosperity in the future. I classified it as a primary source because it was created by the Chinese government around the time of the one-child policy. "China and India Population Projection." Chart. US Census Bureau. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. This source is a chart that shows that Indias population will surpass Chinas in 2025. It was made by the US Census Bureau. I used it in my website to show that Chinas birth rate has gone down because of the one-child policy. I classified it as a primary source because it was created by a government institution. Deliver Medicine to the Doorstep, Do a Good Job in Birth Control Work. Digital image. Chineseposters.net. Chinese Posters Foundation, n.d. Web. This 1970s Chinese propaganda poster depicts a Chinese government worker delivering contraceptives to a Chinese female. The source of the poster is the Chinese government and it was created as part of their massive family planning campaign in the 1970s. It is interesting and important because it gives a good example of the propaganda posters that the government frequently used during the height of their family planning campaign to promote having fewer children. The poster also reveals that the government was very supportive of the use of contraceptives and may have even provided them in some cases. I classified it as a primary source because it was produced by the government and is from the time period leading up to the one-child policy. "Misadventures in Baby Making." Audio podcast. Freakonomics.com. Freakonomics Radio, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. This source is an audio podcast done by Freakonomics, a partnership between economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen Dubner, who have written various books together and have a website and podcast that attempt to uncover the hidden side of everything. The podcast includes an interview with Geert Jan Olsder, a mathematician from the Netherlands who believes he may have unknowingly influenced Chinas policy. The story told in the podcast is very interesting and gave me a better understanding of where the ideas behind the policy came from. I used the source mainly for quotes from Olsder. I classified it as a primary source because it is essentially an interview with Olsder who was an important figure in the history of the one-child policy. "Where Boys Are Off Balance." Chart. United Nations. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. This source is a chart that shows that China has the largest gender imbalance in the world. It compares the amount of males born per 100 females born in nations with the highest gender imbalances. I classified it as a primary source because it was created by the United Nations.

"400 Million Births Prevented by One-child Policy." People's Daily Online. News Service of the Communist Party of China, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. This source was an article posted on the website of the Peoples Daily, a newspaper produced by the Chinese government. The article includes information about how many births have been prevented by the one-child policy. I used it to see the perspective of the Chinese government on the demographic effects of the policy. I classified it as a primary source because it was produced by the Chinese government.