The Rippling Effects of China’s One-Child Policy

The New Yorker Radio Hour – August 9, 2019
Host: David Remnick
Guests: Nanfu Wang (filmmaker, creator of One Child Nation), Jia Lynn Yang (New Yorker staff writer, interviewer)

Overview

This episode centers on the profound impact of China’s one-child policy – both at a macro-societal level and within individual families. Filmmaker Nanfu Wang discusses her acclaimed documentary, One Child Nation, which delves into the personal and generational trauma wrought by the policy. The conversation, led by Jia Lynn Yang, explores themes of propaganda, reproductive rights, intergenerational pain, and the power and limitations of art to shift collective memory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The "Taboo" of Overpopulation and the One-Child Policy

• [00:08] David Remnick introduces the context: Overpopulation is a rarely addressed, near-taboo subject, and China’s drastic attempt to control it via the one-child policy provides a powerful, if brutal, example.
• The policy, implemented from the late 1970s to 2015, is still reverberating through Chinese society.

Personal Motivations for Making One Child Nation

• [01:12] Nanfu Wang explains her impetus as both a native-born Chinese citizen under the policy and a new mother, which prompted her to re-examine family history and the policy’s effects.
  • She recalls learning, late in life, about her own mother’s coerced sterilization:

    “Being pregnant and having my first child really made me question a lot of the things that I never thought about...I started asking my mom what it was like for her generation when they had to be sterilized by the government.” (C, 01:38)

The Internalization of Propaganda

• [02:20] Both Wang and Yang note how ubiquitous propaganda normalized the policy:
  • Wang shares:

    "It was like a tree standing there. It's a wall...at some point you just stop paying attention to it. You assume that it's a normal part of existence of the universe." (C, 03:22)

• The policy was so ingrained that questioning it was almost unthinkable for young people in China.

Family Participation and Intergenerational Pain

• [04:25] Wang discusses the challenges and emotional labor of involving her relatives in her film, noting varying degrees of reluctance, especially from her uncle, whose harrowing story features prominently.
• [05:47] The story of her uncle abandoning his newborn daughter due to family pressure—a profound moment from the documentary—is discussed in painful detail.
  • Wang recounts:

    “He stood there across the street, watched to see if somebody would come and take the baby...but then his mom threatened to commit suicide and he couldn't do that. And he felt so torn. There was no right decision.” (C, 06:19)

• [07:15] Yang reflects on the randomness and cruelty of who gets to live, noting her own “boy’s name” and the strange pride and survivor’s guilt accompanying it.

The Significance of Names

• [08:58] Both speakers discuss the cultural legacy of gender preference embedded even in the names given to girls.
  • Wang explains:

    "Nan means man and Fu means pillar...they hope that even though I was a girl, that I could be like a man and be the pillar of the family." (C, 08:58)

  • Both women share conflicted, even proud, feelings toward their inherited names and familial expectations.

Reproductive Rights—China and the U.S.

• [09:47] Wang observes the irony in moving from a country enforcing abortions to one debating abortion rights:

  • “Restriction of reproductive rights is not unique to China...I would have assumed in a country where respect of freedom...would have recognized the reproductive rights for women as the basic rights. But it wasn't that case.” (C, 10:07)

• The discussion invites American listeners to reflect on their own culture and propaganda regarding women’s bodies.

The Legacy and Future of Family Planning in China

• [11:00] Wang is asked about the end of the policy and hopes for greater freedom:
  • Expresses pessimism due to increasing surveillance and repression in China.

    • "I really wanted to be optimistic, but I don't think that I am optimistic." (C, 11:25)

Resistance to Changing Perspectives

• [12:18] Wang describes her mother’s reaction to the film: Even after viewing, her mother insists the policy was necessary, demonstrating the enduring power of state propaganda.

  • “She said it was so true what you showed in the film...But I still think the policy was necessary. So she was really. I think it really struck me how effective the propaganda was.” (C, 12:33)

Censorship and Hope for Change

• [13:05] Discussion of whether the film can be shown in China:
  • It’s being shown in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and via underground venues in mainland China. Wang maintains that “awareness is the first step toward change.” (C, 13:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I am a product of the one child policy...a family could be defined by anything other than a mother, a father and a child.” (B, 02:20)
• “There is this element of just a very cruel lottery at work who determines who dies and who lives. Seems very, very random.” (B, 07:15)
• “Restriction of reproductive rights is not unique to China...what women should or should not do with their own body should be their own choice.” (C, 10:07)
• “If the country would ever change, the first step would be the awareness for people to know what happened. Then once their awareness starts to change, that’s when their action would be changed too.” (C, 13:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08-01:06 – Introduction, background on the one-child policy
• 01:12-02:20 – Nanfu Wang’s motivations for making the film
• 03:22-04:25 – Propaganda’s effect and normalization of the policy
• 05:47-08:58 – Family pain, the “lottery” of surviving as a girl, gendered names
• 09:47-11:00 – The irony of reproductive rights: China vs. U.S.
• 11:00-12:18 – The legacy of the policy and pessimism about reform in China
• 12:18-13:05 – Family reactions to the film and the power of propaganda
• 13:05-13:46 – Censorship and hope for gradual change via awareness

Conclusion

This revealing and moving conversation shows how deeply the one-child policy shaped and scarred generations, especially women. Wang’s film and personal journey expose the intertwining of private grief and public policy, challenging listeners to reconsider assumptions about propaganda, gender, and reproductive autonomy—both in China and worldwide.