Xinhua Insight: Slogans need to be updated

Solemn-faced couples, holding a spanner and a sickle, were a common sight in the early 1980s, when China introduced its one-child policy. They looked out of posters above a red slogan saying, "Controlled population, planned growth".

More than three decades later, Chinese newspapers are splashing photos of smiling parents carrying two infants with the banner "Home with two kids".

In January, China ended one-child policy and allowed all couples to have two children. The new policy is expected to bring sweeping social changes.

But the slogans have yet to catch up with the new family-planning regimen, said members of China's top advisory body.

Zhu Lianqing, with 40 other members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, raised a proposal to clean up outdated slogans promoting birth control and to improve family planning services to boost fertility during the CPPCC's annual meeting in March.

OMINOUS MESSAGES

In the world's most populous country, childbearing is not a private issue among families - it has long been viewed as a "revolutionary task" in the national interest.

In the early 1980s, the family planning policy in red banners, like Chairman Mao's famous quotations, bedecked city streets; in the countryside, slogans were painted on walls and buildings.

Families that violated the one-child policy were branded "guerrillas", as they hid to escape huge fines or other penalties.

Traditionally, perpetuating the bloodline is seen as a virtue. But when the New China was founded in 1949, the country was very poor and underdeveloped and the "more people, more power" idea was widely accepted. The population exploded from 540 million in 1949 to 830 million by 1970.The contrast sharpened between limited land and the massive population.

Fearful that uncontrolled growth would restrict economic development, China started strict implementation of a one-child policy, mostly among its urban population in the late 1970s to deal with the population pressures.

Family planning slogans reflected living and production conditions: "Bear less children, and plant more trees" or "Raising more children is not as good as raising more pigs."

Some were ominous, such as "One more baby means one more tomb" and "Uncontrolled births cause houses to collapse".

In 2007, the government softened the tone with new phrases: "For Mother Earth, control childbirth" and "Fewer and healthier births make the countryside prosperous". Some stressed gender equality: "Boys and girls are equally important" and "Girls matter to the nation's future".

"They still strongly reflected the one-child policy," said Zhu Liangqing, pointing out that they largely succeeded.

Outdated content also appears in textbooks, he said. He raised a paragraph in an elementary textbook of Zhejiang Province that states, "From 1971 to 1998, the one-child policy resulted in a reduction of population, which saved 7.4 trillion yuan in childrearing costs, almost equal to China's GDP in 1997."

"It's ridiculous." Zhu said. If schools taught the idea that "fewer births can save money", children would wrongly believe they were worthless.

However, people are now China's most needed resource. While getting wealthier, the world's most populous country is also aging, with 220 million people aged 60 or over.

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted in his government work report that China has a labor force of 900 million, of whom over 100 million have received higher education or are professionally trained. "This is our greatest resource and strength," he said.

Ironically, Chinese are now less inclined to take on the burden on more children.

In 2015, births numbered 16.55 million, down 320,000 from 2014, accounting for just 12 percent of the world's newborns. Demographic experts predict that the two-child policy will result in only 3 million more babies every year.

The rising cost of living is the main reason for the reluctance. A proposal at the Shanghai political consultative conference early this year shows that raising a child in the city cost at least 2 million yuan.

A recent investigation in Guangzhou revealed that 86.5 percent people had too little time to take care of their children. "Housework hinders a woman's career" was the main reason women wanted fewer children.

NEW SLOGAN!

Family planning slogans must now reverse this trend.

"The new slogans should be more interesting, vivid, and well received," said Zuo Dongling, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Social media is buzzing with tongue-in-cheek slogans, such as "Two babies rewarded;one baby fined; DINKs arrested".

Zhu Lianqing suggests government learn from neighboring countries, like the Republic of Korea, which encourages its people with slogans like "Dad, I'm lonely, and I want more brothers and sisters", "More kids, better lives", and "The biggest legacy for children is siblings."

But just improving slogans is not enough. "Without improved services or polices, people will not have the courage have more children - no matter how good the slogan," said Zhang Jingping, a working mother of two.

Others parents echo her thoughts. Yu Li, a sales manager in the communications industry, who has two girls, wants preferential policies on school enrollment, and car and home purchases, as they are the most expensive and stressful requirements for raising children in large cities.

NPC deputy Huang Xihua delivered a proposal for new family planning policies to offset the pressures brought by extra kids, including tax cuts, holiday extensions, and free kindergarten education.

"Having a child is really not a family affairs; it concerns the whole nation." Endit