On October 12, 2023, the National Health Commission issued the Statistical Communiqué on the Development of Mainland Health in 2022. The data on negative population growth once again made the topic of "low fertility" rush to the hot search, and China's fertility rate ranked second from the bottom in the world.
Screenshot of netizen comment
In 2022, the mainland will have a birth population of 9.56 million, and one child accounts for less than 50% of the birth population! That is, more and more young people do not want to give birth. The birth of a second or third child faces greater economic pressure. How to increase fertility in this situation? Many experts suggest that birth subsidies be issued, and some experts even propose a monthly subsidy of 2,000 yuan for multi-child families, extended to 20 years old.
Screenshot of the video transmitted online
How should the birth subsidy be issued? And how much of an effect will it have on increasing fertility? Just when people were discussing related topics, a video of "excited parents receiving birth subsidies" on the Internet exploded, what happened?
Huangzhugen Village, Yingzai Town, Lianjiang City, Guangdong Province, a village with a population of just over 2,600, was able to give birth to more than 190 newborns in six years. "4 children in 4 years", "90,000 babies for birth", what first-hand information did US observer Liu Suying get after visiting Huangzhugen Village? This issue of Kweichow Moutai's "A Closer Look at China" program takes you to the story behind the birth subsidy in Huangzhugen Village.
Give birth to a baby subsidy of 90,000
Huangzhugen Village, which is said to be the first place in China to implement birth subsidies. In March 2017, the village began subsidizing 30,000 yuan for each family with a newborn, which has now increased to 90,000.
Overlooking Huangzhugen Village
After arriving at Huangzhugen Village, we learned that the birth subsidy in Huangzhugen Village was not issued by the government, but initiated by individuals. Since the three Lin brothers came to live in Huangzhugen Village 400 years ago, the descendants of the Lin family have reproduced here for hundreds of years, and more than 2,600 people still live here. But in recent years, the village has also faced a depopulation. It is this strong clan concept that makes Lin Xiang, a village sage who has immigrated to Australia, remember his hometown, and he has successively taken out two huge sums of money as a "birth subsidy" for the descendants of the Lin family in the village.
Liu Suying interviewed Lin Kun, the head of the birth subsidy team in Huangzhugen Village, who is affectionately known as "Uncle Kun" by the villagers, and told us that the birth subsidy in the village is carried out in two rounds. The first round is a subsidy of 30,000 per newborn. This subsidy doubled the number of births to less than 20 births a year in the village. In just two and a half years, 100 newborns were born in the village. In September 2021, the second round of birth subsidies began, and the subsidy amount was tripled, with a subsidy of 90,000 yuan for one newborn.
The picture shows Lin Kun showing the birth subsidy distribution file for the observer
Lin Kun shows us the archives of issuing maternity allowances for newborns in recent years. He said the process was serious and required verification and signature by four village cadres before it could be issued.
Has the distribution of birth subsidies in Huangzhugen Village encountered difficulties in the specific implementation process? What is the effect so far? What's the story behind it? Find the answer in the show.
Since I got the grant, I had four children in four years
Chen Xiaohua and her husband Lin Chaomo are a post-80s couple, who worked together in Guangzhou a few years ago and gave birth to their first daughter in 2011. Xiaohua, who originally planned to have only one child, felt that the child was lonely, so three years later, they welcomed their second child. Raising two children in Guangzhou made life extremely difficult for Xiaohua and his wife, and the two decided that her husband would stay in Guangzhou to continue working and earn money, and Xiaohua would return to her hometown with her children.
Chen Xiaohua and her children
A few years later, Xiaohua got pregnant unexpectedly, and if she gave birth to a child, the life pressure of Xiaohua's couple would be even greater. However, at this time, the village was distributing birth subsidies, which was like a timely rain for the little flower couple, and they finally decided to give birth to a child.
Xiaohua also told us that some newly married newlyweds in the village have given birth to four children in four years, one a year, since receiving subsidies.
Children in the village
The birth allowance in the village has indeed played a great role in alleviating the economic pressure of young people in the village to raise children. This also affects the fertility decision of some couples to varying degrees, and has become one of the elements to consider whether they have more children.
However, the concept of young people having children is no longer about having many children and blessings. To what extent can the provision of maternity allowances in the village affect the childbearing attitudes of young people in the village? Can there be a subsidy to solve all the problems caused by "giving birth"? In "born or not", how do the young people in Huangzhugen Village choose?
Has education become a top priority for parenting?
In recent years, the Chinese government has introduced a series of policies to encourage childbearing. At the two sessions every year, proposals and suggestions on encouraging fertility often arouse social concern. From the liberalization of the two-child to three-child policy; From extending women's maternity leave to incorporating maternity medical care into medical insurance; Birth subsidies range from a few hundred to tens of thousands.
This year, encouraging fertility and promoting population is still one of the hot topics, in a sense, the increase in education funding is one of the main factors why many families give up having more children. Therefore, many NPC deputies even regard reducing the cost of education as a way to encourage childbearing.
When the observer Liu Suying chatted with the villagers, many mentioned the education of their children. Lin Guangjin and Wu Guanzhan raised a total of 3 children with the encouragement of two birth subsidies. In order to give their children a better education, the couple sent their children to school in the town. Among them, the son who is in kindergarten spends the most, with three or four thousand tuition per semester. Raising three children costs about 1230,000 a year. Despite this, they still hope that all three children can get a better education and have a better development in the future.
Lin Guangjin (second from right) Wu Guanzhan (first from right)
Involution in education is a common problem in East Asian countries. Chinese has been expected to become a dragon since ancient times, and hope that a daughter will become a phoenix. Parents generally pay attention to the education of their children, which also makes it more expensive for them to have a child.
Now, Lin Kun has a new idea to set up a scholarship, which may also be a good way to encourage fertility in the future!
"A Closer Look at China" will not be seen at 22:00 on Sunday night