A Significant Sign

ESL 100 

Jiemin Zhang 

A Significant Sign 

            Many Chinese families have faced the difficult problem of family planning in the past few decades. In the two decades from 1961 to 1976. China’s population was growing rapidly, but China was not rich. As a result, the country had to control population growth. The government issued a new policy of family planning in 1979. Each family was limited to having one child in cities and having two children in the countryside, which the maximum was two. In cities, people were fined a lot of money if the family had more than two children. In addition, members of this family would not be able to find a job, and children would not be allowed to enroll in school. In the villages, if the investigators found a family with more than two children, they would have to pay a fine. If they could not pay the fine, then the family planning investigators would take everything such as cows, TVs, and others valuables. Since the policy started, everyone was afraid of having children. Some people who were not afraid of having more than one child needed to live carefully and hide their other children. My family was also caught up in the chaos of this policy, and it had an enormous impact on my family.  

          Since the policy was issued in 1979, I was not able to have a happy childhood like other kids. My parents told me that if I was found to be the third child in this family, they would be fined. My mother told me that she used to take me back to her village on the northern side every summer and winter holiday because she wanted to hide from the family planning investigators. This situation lasted until 2003. Then, the situation changed. I started first grade in school. My mother told me that she was going to send me to her village alone, and that my cousin would take care of me. I felt helpless because I knew I was going to miss my family. After sending me to her village, she said goodbye, and took care of myself. I was crying and emotional, but I could not do anything. I stayed in this village for two or three months until my school opened. In addition, sometimes, I stared at the walls in a daze to get through the day. I was stuck in a tough situation. Sometimes, I just looked at the rice fields in the village because I just wanted time to go fast. People passing by the village asked me where I was from and responded that I lived in this village. I felt guilty because I lied to them. However, I had to lie to people if I did not know them. 

             Moreover, my parents worried about my future and had problems with the government investigators. My parents had to figure out my education and potential for a inevitable investigation. My parents were afraid that the people who knocked on the door were family planning investigators. I once asked my parents why they were afraid. They told me that the investigator asked how many children in this family and needed proof. In China, every family has a household registration card, and everyone’s name and date of birth was on the household registration. I was the third child in this family, so my name was obvious in the household book. I was really shocked when my mother told me that she had a fake household registration, and that my name was not on the registration card. That was why my mother was afraid of the investigator knocking on the door. In 2003, my mother worried about my education because every family was only allowed to enroll two children in school. The school required an additional document called a service card which allowed me to enroll in school. My mother asked a lot of people for advice on how to solve the problem. The day before school opened, my mother went to the education department and said that she lost the cord. My mother needed a new one because she wanted to use this service card to help me enroll in school. She spent about 3500 Chinese Yuan on this issue. This was a huge expense for my mother because in 2003 the significant average salary per person was 1100 Chinese Yuan. I was lucky that I enrolled in school.  

            Finally, my relatives were afraid of having children because of the policy, and they wanted to have a good future. My relatives did not want to live a secret life. They wanted to find a great job and get a high salary. It also meant my relatives would have a better quality of life if they did not have more than two children. During this time of family planning, all my relatives obeyed the family planning policy. In addition, China also offered better benefits to people who followed the family planning policy such as free medical insurance, employment opportunities and better retirement. These reasons probably led them not to want to have more than two children. My mother told me that my relatives heard I had to go back to her village every summer and winter and they did not want their kids to live like me. They did not want to get in trouble with the investigator either. Considering everything that happened, I understand all my relatives' choices. Everyone has their dreams to pursue and chase. I also understand my mother as well, and I appreciate what my mother did for me. 

            In conclusion, the family planning policy had a significant influence on my family because we have experienced many hardships. As for me, I laugh at myself every time I think about my early years in 2003. For my parents, it is scary to think about it. The family planning policy ended in 2010. However, the policy changed so many things such as population control, economic impact and employment rates. This policy might not be good for everyone, but it was some beneficial for China. Right now, China has become one of the most populous countries in the world and, China's Gross Domestic Product is one of the highest in the world. I know that many young people my age also experienced this tough time. This may be an unforgettable and memorable experience for their lives.