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Evidence from Chinese Medical Journals on Current Population Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Leo A. Orleans
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Extract

China's bitter population dilemma is clearly summarized in just one short statement from the People's Daily: “We insist on family planning, but generally speaking we think it is a good thing to have a large population.” For the past two decades China's population policy has been shrouded in secrecy, has been expressed only through Communist polemic and has suffered from apparent indecision and consequent vacillations. Official thinking on this subject is almost never expressed in direct statements and proclamations. It must be gleaned from casual remarks by Chinese leaders, from newspaper and magazine articles and official radio broadcasts, which usually discuss implementation but omit reference to the initial decision, and from visitors to China who describe the visible signs that suggest a particular policy is currently in effect.

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 40 , December 1969 , pp. 137 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1969

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References

1 Jen-min jih-pao (People's Daily), 15 04 1959Google Scholar, as quoted by Michael, Freeberne, in “Birth Control in China,” Population Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1 (07 1964).Google Scholar

2 For example, see Michael Freeberne, “Birth Control in China,” loc. cit.; H. Yuan, Tien, “Birth Control in Mainland China—Ideology and Politics,” Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly (New York), 07 1963Google Scholar; also my “Birth Control: Reversal or Post-ponement?” The China Quarterly, No. 3 (1960)Google Scholar and “A New Birth Control Campaign?” The China Quarterly, No. 12 (1962).Google Scholar

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6 It is important to give this figure some perspective. In a commune of 53,000 persons, there would be approximately 3,800 women between the ages of 20 and 29. Although, of course, the use of the IUD is not limited to this age group, the relationship between the 547 IUD insertions and the age group (almost 15 per cent.) does show the significance of the effort.Google Scholar

7 Kuang-ming jih-pao (Kuang-ming Daily), 19 12 1954.Google Scholar

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18 ibid.

19 Chung-hua fu-ch'an-k'o tsa-chih (Chinese Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics), Vol. 10, No. 1 (01 1964)Google Scholar; summarized in JPRS, No. 42,393 (1 09 1967).Google Scholar

20 ibid. Vol. 10, No. 3 (May 1964); summarized in JPRS, No. 42,352 (28 08 1967).Google Scholar

21 ibid. Vol. 9, No. 2 (March 1963); summarized in JPRS, No. 43,228 (3 11 1967).Google Scholar

22 Shan-tung i-k'an (Shantung Medical Journal), No. 1 (01 1964)Google Scholar; summarized in JPRS, No. 45,847 (3 07 1968).Google Scholar

23 ibid. No. 2 (February 1966); summarized in JPRS, No. 44,992 (9 04, 1968).Google Scholar

24 ibid.

25 Chung-hua fu-ch'an-k'o tsa-chih (Chinese Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics), Vol. II, No. 6 (11 1965)Google Scholar; summarized in JPRS, No. 35,979 (14 06 1966).Google Scholar

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