The recent death of a key architect behind China's infamous one-child policy has triggered a wave of public criticism online, highlighting the enduring pain and demographic consequences of the abandoned rule. Peng Peiyun, who led the National Family Planning Commission from 1988 to 1998, passed away in Beijing on Sunday, just before her 96th birthday.
State Praise vs. Public Anger
While official state media honored Peng as an "outstanding leader" for her work concerning women and children, the reaction on China's tightly controlled social media platforms told a different story. On Weibo, a popular microblogging site, many users expressed bitterness and grief directed at the policy she once championed.
One poignant post read, "Those children who were lost, naked, are waiting for you over there," referring to the afterlife. This sentiment reflects the deep scars left by a policy that was enforced for over three decades.
The Heavy Legacy of Population Control
China's one-child policy was in effect from 1980 until 2015. It was introduced when the country's leaders feared that rapid population growth would spiral out of control. To meet strict quotas, local officials often resorted to coercive measures, including forced abortions and sterilizations.
As the population czar, Peng focused the commission's efforts on rural areas. In the countryside, large families and sons were traditionally preferred for old-age support and to carry on the family name. This preference, combined with the one-child limit, led to tragic outcomes like the abandonment of infant girls and sex-selective abortions.
"Those children, if they were born, would be almost 40 years old, in the prime of their lives," another Weibo user lamented.
A Demographic Reversal and Policy U-Turn
The long-term impact of the policy is now starkly evident. China's population, once the world's largest, has begun to shrink. After being overtaken by India in 2023, China's population declined further to 1.39 billion last year, marking the third consecutive annual drop. Experts warn this downward trend will only accelerate in the coming years.
Interestingly, Peng Peiyun herself had publicly shifted her stance by the 2010s, advocating for a relaxation of the one-child rule. Facing a looming demographic crisis, Beijing has now performed a complete policy reversal. The government is actively trying to boost birth rates through incentives like childcare subsidies, extended maternity leave, and tax benefits.
However, the damage appears deep-rooted. "If the one-child policy had been implemented for 10 years less, China's population would not have plummeted like this!" argued one online comment.
The consequences are severe for the world's second-largest economy. A shrinking and aging workforce poses a significant threat to future economic growth. Simultaneously, the rising costs of elderly care and pensions are expected to strain the budgets of already indebted local governments, creating a complex socio-economic challenge for decades to come.
