In Chinese society, individual choice is circumscribed. A university student may change majors only once, for example. I would have been in trouble-- I changed majors three time. So did Emily Heidt, my daughter. Travel is restricted. Passports are difficult to obtain, and one must request governmental permission to move to another city.
Because of over-population, China allows only one child per couple. Ethnic minorities are exempt, and the policy is poorlyl enforced in the countryside. But in cities and institutions such as universities, the policy is strictly enforced. When female faculty who have children become pregnant , they can be apprehended, taken to a hospital, and forced to abort the preganancy. If they evade this procedure and carry a second pregnancy to term, they lose their positions and are barred from working at universities thereafter. Abortion carries no moral or social stigma here.
Among those with whom I talked, the restrictions on travel are unpopular; however strict enforcement of population control is considered necessary. In a nation of 1.3 billion, perhaps it is. Above: young women in a tiny dormitory suite. Below: flags in the wind on campus.
4 comments:
truly unbelievable
Sure makes the USA a great place to live. Of course I already knew that!!!
the flags are very nice!
Hi Roz,
Here's some of my observations from when I was in China. If it's true that you need approval to relocate to another city, then millions of people in China are violating the law. Those people you see in Weihai working on construction sites have all moved to the city from rural areas. Many of those people selling street food have moved to Weihai from elsewhere. There are so many people who have moved from rural areas into already overcrowded cities like Beijing and Shanghai that there's not enough housing or work to accommodate them. What kind of surreal gov't agency would allow millions of people with no money, little education, and few job skills to relocate under these circumstances? And besides, if there is such a law, I can't imagine who would enforce it. Except for a few larger cities, you rarely see cops.
I didn't see any evidence that travel within China is restricted. During the first week of May, for example, so many Chinese are traveling on holiday that the trains and buses are all completely packed. And people are often going on spur-of-the-moment trip, just like we do in the US. And if someone wants to travel to the US, the biggest roadblock is the US embassy in Beijing and all the hoops you have to jump through to get a US visa.
Steve
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