What it was like to grow up under China's one-child policy | Nanfu Wang

Summary

Nanfu, born before China's one-child policy, explores the policy's impact through personal and collective experiences. Her documentary interviews, including a midwife with a tragic past, reveal the policy's complex victims and perpetrators. Propaganda's pervasive influence is highlighted, showing its power to shape minds and justify dark sacrifices, a phenomenon not limited to China but present globally, hidden in everyday media.

Takeaways

• 👶 Nanfu's name has a significant meaning, reflecting her family's hope for a male heir to be the pillar of the family.
• 🏡 Nanfu was born before China's one-child policy, and her family faced pressure to sterilize her mother after her birth.
• 👦 Nanfu's family was allowed to have a second child after a five-year wait and a substantial fine, unlike many others affected by the policy.
• 🏫 Nanfu and her brother grew up feeling a sense of shame due to being part of a family with two children, influenced by societal norms and policies.
• 🌱 Nanfu's perspective on her childhood and China's one-child policy changed after becoming a mother herself.
• 🎥 Nanfu decided to make a documentary to explore the impact of the one-child policy on people's lives.
• 👵 She interviewed the midwife who delivered babies in her village, including herself, who had performed 60,000 forced abortions and sterilizations.
• 🚫 The midwife's story revealed the tragic and complex nature of enforcing the one-child policy, highlighting her own guilt and desire for redemption.
• 🏠 Nanfu discovered that the midwife, initially seen as a perpetrator, was also a victim of the policy, influenced by societal and governmental pressures.
• 📚 Propaganda praising the one-child policy was pervasive in China, affecting people's beliefs and actions.
• 🌐 Propaganda is not exclusive to China and can be found in various forms in societies around the world, influencing people's perceptions and decisions.

Q & A

What is the meaning of the name 'Nanfu' in Chinese?

In Chinese, 'nan' means 'man' and 'fu' means 'pillar', symbolizing the family's hope for a boy who would become the pillar of the family.

Why did Nanfu's family initially feel a sense of shame?

Nanfu's family felt a sense of shame because they had two children, which was considered unusual and even wrong at the time due to the prevailing one-child policy in China.

What significant event occurred in Nanfu's life a year and a half ago?

Nanfu had her first child, which was a life-changing event that gave her a new perspective on her own childhood and prompted her to explore the impact of China's one-child policy.

What was the profession of the person Nanfu interviewed who had a significant role in her village?

Nanfu interviewed a midwife who delivered all the babies born in her village, including Nanfu herself, and also performed numerous forced abortions and sterilizations.

How did the midwife's role change over time according to the interview?

The midwife transitioned from performing forced abortions and sterilizations to helping families treat infertility and have babies, as a way to counteract her past actions under the one-child policy.

What did the midwife feel guilt about and why?

The midwife felt guilt for carrying out the one-child policy, including performing forced abortions and sterilizations, which she later saw as a violation of human rights and personal ethics.

What was the impact of the one-child policy on Nanfu's perception of her family?

The one-child policy influenced Nanfu to feel embarrassed and as if her family had done something wrong by having two children, despite the policy not being in effect at the time of her birth.

How did the propaganda of the one-child policy affect Nanfu's early life?

The propaganda praising the one-child policy was pervasive in Nanfu's early life, appearing on matches, playing cards, textbooks, and posters, which contributed to her feeling of shame for having a younger brother.

What realization did Nanfu come to regarding the nature of propaganda?

Nanfu realized that propaganda is not limited to China and can be present in any society, often hiding in plain sight and working subtly to change people's minds without their awareness.

How did the documentary project affect Nanfu's understanding of the one-child policy?

The documentary project deepened Nanfu's understanding of the one-child policy by showing her the complexity of the issue, including the fact that even those who enforced the policy were also victims of it.

What message does Nanfu convey about the dangers of accepting propaganda as truth?

Nanfu emphasizes that every society is vulnerable to accepting propaganda as truth, and that a society where propaganda replaces truth cannot be truly free, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and awareness.