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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Plight of China's Little Emperors |
| 2008-08-18 |
| When China began limiting couples to one child 30 years ago, the policy's most obvious goal was to contain a mushrooming population. For the Chinese people, however, the policy's greater purpose was to turn out a group of young elites who would each enjoy the undivided resources of their whole family—the so-called xiao huangdi, or "little emperors." The plan was to "produce a generation of high-quality children to facilitate China's introduction as a global power," explains Susan Greenhalgh, an expert on the policy. But while these well-educated, driven achievers are fueling the nation's economic boom, their generation has become too modern too quickly, glutted as it is with televisions, access to computers, cash to buy name brands, and the same expectations of middle-class success as Western kids. The shift in temperament has happened too fast for society to handle. China is still a developing nation with limited opportunity, leaving millions of ambitious little emperors out in the cold; the country now churns out more than 4 million university graduates yearly, but only 1.6 million new college-level jobs. Even the strivers end up as security guards. China may be the world's next great superpower, but it's facing a looming crisis as millions of overpressurized, hypereducated only children come of age in a nation that can't fulfill their expectations. This culture of pressure and frustration has sparked a mental-health crisis for young Chinese. Many simmer in depression or unemployment, unwilling to take jobs they consider beneath them. Millions, afraid to face the real world, escape into video games, which the government considers a national epidemic. And a disturbing number decide to end it all; suicide is now China's leading cause of death for those aged 20 to 35. "People in China—especially parents and college students—are suddenly becoming aware of huge depression and anxiety problems in young people," says Yu Zeng, a 23-year-old from Sichuan province. "The media report on new campus suicides all the time." |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #11 The disadvantage from a military standpoint is that they're becoming a nation of sole surviving sons. Once Sonny goes, the family line goes with him. An interesting prospect is of kids without aunts or uncles. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-08-18 20:17 |
| #10 The disadvantage from a military standpoint is that they're becoming a nation of sole surviving sons. Once Sonny goes, the family line goes with him. |
| Posted by: Fred 2008-08-18 18:43 |
| #9 I think owning up to a mistake would be cheaper than taking the bet. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2008-08-18 17:10 |
| #8 I bet that's 120 boys for every 100 girls. |
| Posted by: mrp 2008-08-18 16:38 |
| #7 Not mentioned is that the Chinese much prefer boys and only being able to have one child caused couples to take steps to ensure that that child was a boy. Girls are dumped and/or sold to western couples looking to adopt. China (and India) have become the top markets for ultrasound machines. China is now running about 120 boys for every girl. The internet is the only option for some of these guys (and I'm not talking games). |
| Posted by: DoDo 2008-08-18 16:32 |
| #6 even worse- a journalism major - learn to write about someone else's achievements, add your bitter little bias to a news story, and spellcheck cleans up the tripe |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-08-18 16:23 |
| #5 I would say that someone with an advanced degree in Middle English literature would have many prospects as an English teacher or in other professions because she was taught to think clearly and write. The real wastes are low end BAs in Business Admin which can be all BS courses. You can bullshit through that degree without even having to write long essays or do math higher than you learned in High School. Most kids could benefit from a year of prep school so they can shoot for more difficult science and engineering majors. |
| Posted by: penguin 2008-08-18 16:12 |
| #4 It's a workers paradise. Game on! |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-18 15:56 |
| #3 A land without sisters or brothers, aunts, uncles or cousins. How is this supposed to bind a nation together? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2008-08-18 15:55 |
| #2 Millions, afraid to face the real world, escape into video games, which the government considers a national epidemic. Almost two centuries ago, the Chinese blamed opium addiction for China's problems. Never mind that opium had been available in China since the Tang dynasty 1000 years ago. Never mind that opium was legal and widely available worldwide in more concentrated forms (as laudanum and cough syrup in the West). Opium addition, in this view, was a cause, rather than a symptom, of China's problems. Sadly, the Chinese will swallow the current government's explanation just as readily as they swallowed the previous government's explanation for its failures. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-08-18 15:53 |
| #1 Ah, we do it a little different. We pile years of student loan debt upon millions of students seeking degrees in non-employable majors. That surly clerk at the check out counter who has an advanced degree in Middle English Literature or that arrogant non-French waiter with four years at Juillard's usually is a give away. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-08-18 15:29 |