The abolition of China’s controversial one-child policy has triggered an intense emotional discussion online, with netizens expressing a mixture of regret, bitterness and sympathy.
Many have been using the hashtag #Quanmianertai# – shorthand for “Freeing up all aspects to have a second child” – which has become a top trending topic on Thursday night and Friday on the Weibo microblogging network.
Sharing trauma
People have been sharing their own stories about how strictly the one-child policy had been enforced over the decades it has been in place.
“I can still remember when I was little, the family planning department broke down the door in my family home to grab my mum and sterilise her. I still carry this trauma to this day. What kind of methods would they use to make us have a second child?” wrote user MuziD-AiLee.
Her post attracted scores of sympathetic responses recounting similar experiences.
“My first child turned out to be twin girls. Two and a half years ago, I was visited daily in my home by planning officials telling me to go for sterilisation. If I didn’t get sterilised I would not get the hukou,” said Shuangbaotaixiaoruhexiaoyi.
“So I was forced to be sterilised – I was only 23 at that time. My heart hurt so much then – I’m so young and I can’t have any more children. I hate the family planning unit.”
The hukou is China’s identity registration system – officials often deny this to illegal children, making it difficult for them to travel around the country and gain access to state education and healthcare.
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