One Child: The Story Of China's Most Radical Experiment

Author: Mei Fong

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General Fields

  • : 29.99 AUD
  • : 9781780748450
  • : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • : Oneworld
  • :
  • : 0.334
  • : April 2016
  • : 225mm X 146mm X 19mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 29.99
  • : April 2016
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  • :
  • : books

Special Fields

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  • :
  • : Mei Fong
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  • : Paperback
  • : 516
  • :
  • : English
  • : 304.60951
  • :
  • : 256
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Barcode 9781780748450
9781780748450

Description

Since 1979, China has exercised unprecedented control over the reproductive habits of more than a billion people. At the end of the twentieth century the one-child policy lifted millions out of poverty, and now the Chinese economy is on the verge of becoming the largest in the world. But is their colossal experiment in social engineering about to bring everything crumbling down?
Combining personal portraits of families affected by the policy and a nuanced account of China's descent towards economic and societal turmoil, award-winning journalist Mei Fong reveals the true cost of the one-child policy. Drawing on a decade spent documenting its repercussions on every sector of Chinese society, Fong's candid account is an exceptional piece of on- the-ground journalism, both moving and disturbing.Since 1979, China has exercised unprecedented control over the reproductive habits of more than a billion people. At the end of the twentieth century the one-child policy lifted millions out of poverty, and now the Chinese economy is on the verge of becoming the largest in the world. But is their colossal experiment in social engineering about to bring everything crumbling down? Combining personal portraits of families affected by the policy and a nuanced account of China's descent towards economic and societal turmoil, award-winning journalist Mei Fong reveals the true cost of the one-child policy. Drawing on a decade spent documenting its repercussions on every sector of Chinese society, Fong's candid account is an exceptional piece of on-the-ground journalism, both moving and disturbing

Reviews

'A deeply moving account of a policy of that looks set to haunt China (and the world) for decades: Fong highlights how, despite its relaxation to two children, the repercussions of the past thirty-five years will only be felt more acutely in the future.' Independent 'Vivid and thoroughly researched... a moving and at times harrowing account of the significance of decisions taken by a small coterie of men with too much faith in science and ideology, and too little in humanity.' Observer 'Mei Fong has travelled widely across China, and has produced a vivid account of the multifarious ways whereby a hugely unpopular policy was implemented...One Child is a timely reminder of how the recent relaxation of the policy is unlikely to avert a self-inflicted demographic disaster'. Sunday Times 'There really could be no one better than Fong, a western journalist with an insider's knowledge of China, to make this story come alive'. Times 'Gripping, balanced and well-documented'. Spectator 'With its vivid character portrayals and incredible stories, One Child is an eye-opening book.' -- Xinran Xue, author of The Good Women of China and Buy Me the Sky: The Remarkable Truth of China's One-Child Generations 'Fong's moving and highly personal account of the one-child policy will teach you more about the dysfunction and cruelty of modern-day China than any other.' -- Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy 'One Child is a riveting read, written with the flair and compassion of a novel. But it is also a critically important book about the future of China, necessary reading both for policy experts and anyone interested in the future of one of the most important nations of the 21st century.' -- Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of Unfinished Business 'Eye-opening, powerful and utterly gripping, One Child had me hooked from page one. Mei Fong possesses a rare eye for the details that truly illuminate a story, the ones that most of us overlook. She writes beautifully and vividly, revealing sides of China I'd never imagined to exist.' -- Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and The Triple Package 'A highly impressive account of one of the controversial aspects of today's China combining policy analysis, extensive on-the-ground reporting and personal experience.' -- Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China and Tiger Head, Snake Tails 'Reveals the dark underbelly of China's one-child policy... its implementation led to heartache, human rights abuses and forced coercion of women across the country.' -- Paul French, author of Midnight in Peking 'One Child is a timely and informative look into China's infamous effort to control its enormous population. But Mei Fong has also given us a wry, bittersweet, and often very personal look at how courtship, marriage, birth, and death interact in the post-Mao Chinese family. A lovely antidote to decades of chillingly cold Party-speak from Beijing.' -- Orville Schell, author of Wealth and Power '[One Child] must change the way we talk about China's rise... It not only clarifies facts and retires myths, but also confronts the deepest questions about the meaning of parenthood.' -- Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition

Author description

Mei Fong is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent over a decade reporting in Asia, most notably as China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. She is a winner of Amnesty's Human Rights Press Award.