China Adoption
Family Planning
China 's family planning policy combines government guidance with the wishes of the masses. The basic requirements of family planning are late marriages and late child-bearing, so as to have fewer, but healthier, babies, especially one child per couple. But a flexible family planning policy is adopted for rural people and ethnic minorities; in rural areas, couples may have second baby in exceptional cases, but must wait several years after the birth of the first child.
In areas inhabited by minority peoples, each ethnic group may work out different regulations in accordance with its wish, population, natural resources, economy, culture and customs: In general, a couple may have a second baby or a third child in some places. As for ethnic minorities with extremely small populations, a couple may have as many children as they want.
Profound changes have taken place in the people's viewpoints on marriage, childbearing and the family. Late marriage, late childbearing and fewer but healthier babies are the accepted norms of the most people in China . Now the people have a common understanding that there is no difference between a son or a daughter.
It has become a custom to set up a small happy, harmonious family, and pursue a scientific and civilized lifestyle. Meanwhile, family planning has helped Chinese women get rid of the burden of frequent childbearing and the heavy family burden after marriage, thus raising women's status and improving the health of both mothers and children.
Family
China has 340 million families, with 3.63 people per household on average. In general, a Chinese family is composed of a couple and their children, but big families with three or more generations can also be found in China . Along with the pursuit of personal freedom, the trend of forming small families with only directly related members is now prevalent.
In the past, each Chinese family had a "head," who had absolute authority at home, and had the final say in family affairs. But now in most Chinese families, the husband and wife, or a couple with other family members, work out together the household plans, and decide family affairs through consultation.
Moreover, family members share the housework, making the division of labor at home more reasonable; and the husband and wife support each other's work.
The Chinese people have the tradition of respecting the old and loving the young. Though many young couples do not live with their parents, they maintain close contact with them. Grown up children have the duty to support and help their parents. The Chinese people attach great importance to relations between family members and relatives, and cherish their parents, children, brothers and sister, uncles, aunts and other relatives.