https://www.scmp.com/rss/327291/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s birth count plummeted to a record low last year, falling by about 10 million from its 2016 peak and slashing the total by more than half in less than a decade, as the country’s population shrank for a fourth consecutive year. Only 7.92 million babies were born in 2025, down 17 per cent from 9.54 million in 2024, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. This marked the lowest birth figure since records began in 1949 and broke the previous record low set... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340398/chinas-demographic-alarms-blare-births-hit-historic-low-and-population-shrinks-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340398/chinas-demographic-alarms-blare-births-hit-historic-low-and-population-shrinks-again?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 07:09:40 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China has taken a step towards regulating the childcare industry at the national level, drafting legislation to standardise services and lower costs as policymakers fight to reverse a demographic decline that could have long-term economic ramifications. The draft Childcare Services Law was submitted on Monday to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for review, according to Xinhua. The bill, comprising eight chapters and 76 articles, aims to establish a national legal... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337317/china-eyes-childcare-overhaul-law-boost-births-fix-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337317/china-eyes-childcare-overhaul-law-boost-births-fix-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:30:14 +0000 Ren Yan Ren Yan Every Lunar New Year, the urban professional woman – let’s call her Tracy – returns to her rural hometown, where she quickly drops her city identity for her simple rural name Cuihua, helping her family prepare the holiday meal. Funny before-and-after pictures emphasising the contrast between sleek blazers and comfortable pyjamas have captivated Chinese social media users. But these social media memes mask a deeper question. How does “Cuihua” become “Tracy”? Her journey involves more than a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3328900/after-decades-struggle-women-china-are-rewriting-their-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3328900/after-decades-struggle-women-china-are-rewriting-their-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The vast majority of Chinese want their country to take an active role in global affairs and see their nation as moderately strong in the world, but they remain divided on whether the US or China is the greater power, according to a survey released on Tuesday. The results of the survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Carter Center contrast with the growing US wariness towards foreign engagement highlighted by US President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda. “Nationalism is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323842/chinas-nationalism-strong-country-remains-wary-us-new-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3323842/chinas-nationalism-strong-country-remains-wary-us-new-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China recorded a surprise rebound in marriage registrations in the second quarter as a new policy making it easier for couples to tie the knot kicked in, raising hopes that the government’s efforts to mitigate the country’s demographic decline may be starting to show results. But analysts cautioned that China’s population was still shrinking and that Beijing would need to follow through with even stronger pro-natal policies to foster a sustained recovery in birth numbers. A total of 3.54 million... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320956/china-records-surprise-jump-marriages-raising-hopes-births-rebound?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320956/china-records-surprise-jump-marriages-raising-hopes-births-rebound?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:14 +0000 Luna Sun,Mandy Zuo Luna Sun,Mandy Zuo As temperatures soared to a sweltering 39°C, thousands of families still lined up for the launch of China’s first Legoland resort, undeterred by the heatwave. The attraction became an instant hit – not just for children craving plastic-brick adventures, but for policymakers desperate to find the next big demand driver and jolt a weary consumer market back to life. With families eager for quality experiences during the summer holidays, the spotlight is back on leisure spending – one of the few... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320389/legoland-disney-how-china-using-theme-parks-fuel-consumer-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320389/legoland-disney-how-china-using-theme-parks-fuel-consumer-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China has launched its first national childcare subsidy scheme in an effort to help reverse a long-term decline in its population, which fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, to 1.4083 billion. Under the scheme, rolled out on Monday, parents will receive 3,600 yuan (US$502) annually for every child born on or after January 1, 2025, until they turn three. The subsidy is payable whether the child is their first, second or third. Children born before January 1, 2025 but still under three years... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319968/chinas-us500-year-baby-subsidy-boost-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319968/chinas-us500-year-baby-subsidy-boost-population?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China has announced its most significant central-level effort to reverse a deepening demographic crisis since allowing families to have three children, unveiling a long-awaited national childcare subsidy scheme that will provide up to 10,800 yuan (US$1,505) per child under the age of three. The move came amid mounting urgency among policymakers to stem the population decline and blunt its long-term drag on economic growth and social stability, after years of piecemeal local incentives that... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319872/china-launches-first-national-childcare-subsidies-bid-tackle-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319872/china-launches-first-national-childcare-subsidies-bid-tackle-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:48:50 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo After underperforming in China’s national college entrance exam in June, Lu Jie was accepted into a computer science and technology programme earlier this month at a lesser-known polytechnic university in central China’s Hunan province. “Good schools had too many applicants for this major, so I had to choose a lower-ranked one to pursue it,” Lu said. The results for the exam, better known as the gaokao, have been released over the past two weeks – marking a life-changing moment for students like... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319795/why-some-chinese-students-are-skipping-elite-universities-amid-job-market-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3319795/why-some-chinese-students-are-skipping-elite-universities-amid-job-market-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:30:08 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun For many young people in China, the government’s call to prepare for retirement decades in advance feels out of touch with reality. With rising job uncertainty amid a slowing economy, stagnant wages and mounting pressures around housing and marriage, most young employees interviewed by the Post said they were too preoccupied with present circumstances to think about old age – and that retirement was simply too distant to prioritise in a rapidly changing world. “There’s no point constantly... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3311564/young-chinese-put-retirement-plans-hold-amid-slowing-economy-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3311564/young-chinese-put-retirement-plans-hold-amid-slowing-economy-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Last week, a friend suggested something unexpected: “Why not invite our husbands to see the Chinese feminist movie Her Story?” Everyone agreed and we watched the film as a group. Afterwards, we discussed the movie as men and women sharing perspectives, in a way I had rarely experienced before. Throughout my 26 years in China, open discussions about gender that involve both men and women have been nearly nonexistent. The only other time I had a real conversation like this was, unexpectedly, with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3296386/chinas-gender-conservations-must-go-offline-empower-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3296386/chinas-gender-conservations-must-go-offline-empower-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2025 01:30:08 +0000 For weeks, a married friend has been watching a divorce reality show and telling me how much he wanted these couples to break up. One man was too manipulative, another didn’t appreciate his wife’s contributions and one woman was just needy. I still wondered how a married man could wish for others to get divorced. So I watched the show myself. In the first 10 minutes of the first episode of the fourth season, when an interviewer asked Yang Zi, an entrepreneur and husband to actress Huang Shengyi,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3291138/china-urges-couples-have-children-reality-tv-shows-tell-different-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3291138/china-urges-couples-have-children-reality-tv-shows-tell-different-story?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Dec 2024 01:30:09 +0000 China’s retirement age will rise by as much as five years starting in January, according to a decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body. The government has long flagged the need to raise the retirement age to reduce strains on pension coffers, but the decision isn’t necessarily being welcomed by the population – across age groups. The move, in line with commitments made at the once-in-five-years third plenum in mid-July, will be... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3278670/china-delays-retirement-despite-concern-among-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3278670/china-delays-retirement-despite-concern-among-population?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Sep 2024 09:01:00 +0000 After waking up at 6.30am, Claudia Ke brewed herself a cup of tea. The grey, drizzly January sky over Burgundy, France, somehow reminded her of winters in Shanghai, where she had lived for six years. It had been five months since she had arrived in the famous French wine region, in August 2023, and she was still adjusting to the laid-back lifestyle. The 35-year-old’s life in China had been defined first by the years she worked for fashion magazine Vogue in Beijing and then Macy’s department... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3267567/running-china-single-women-their-thirties-escaping-study-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3267567/running-china-single-women-their-thirties-escaping-study-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2024 23:15:11 +0000 Young people in China who grew up in loveless families have found a new welcoming home online, thanks to a group of social media accounts that act as volunteer “digital parents”. A Douyin account using the name @Henverfenxiangrichang, translated in English as “sharing daily life with daughter”, has amassed 1.2 million followers in less than six months. In a range of videos, a smiling, middle-aged couple share their daily activities and tell their followers – whom they affectionately address as... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3255171/young-chinese-loveless-families-find-solace-digital-parents-who-treat-them-their-own-showing-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3255171/young-chinese-loveless-families-find-solace-digital-parents-who-treat-them-their-own-showing-care?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Mar 2024 10:00:15 +0000 An elderly woman in China has decided to leave her 20 million yuan (US$2.8 million) fortune to her cats and dogs and give nothing to her adult children. The woman, surnamed Liu, from Shanghai, made an initial will some years ago in which she left her three children money and property. However, she has changed her mind about the inheritance because her offspring did not visit or care for her when she was ill. Also, they seldom even contact her. Only her pet cats and dogs are there for her, Liu... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3248592/elderly-china-woman-leaves-us28-million-assets-beloved-pets-instead-children-who-never-visited-even?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3248592/elderly-china-woman-leaves-us28-million-assets-beloved-pets-instead-children-who-never-visited-even?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:00:20 +0000 A man who supports his daughter’s family has demanded his granddaughter adopt his surname as the price of his support. The man’s daughter, from Shanghai in eastern China, called a local family conflict resolution programme on July 16 to complain about her father’s demands. “I have recently been hounded to death by my father,” the woman, whose name was withheld to protect her identity, told a mediator. “My child is already 10 years old, but my father insists on changing her surname to his, or he... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3185729/elderly-man-china-demands-daughters-child-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3185729/elderly-man-china-demands-daughters-child-take?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jul 2022 01:00:23 +0000 When Aria Young was 16, she moved from her home city of Shanghai in China to the US state of Pennsylvania. The high school student’s new life involved a lot of changes, including a name change. “I was told that changing my Chinese name to an English one would make life easier,” says Young via Zoom from New York, where the now 21-year-old is a second-year student at New York University. “It’s a common practice for Asian immigrants to choose an English name when they move to America,” she says.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3176440/chinese-students-podcast-her-english-name-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3176440/chinese-students-podcast-her-english-name-change?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 May 2022 20:15:09 +0000 Negative attitudes are keeping down the number of babies available to adopt in Hong Kong, while couples willing to do so are wary about the children they choose, experts say. As of June this year, there were 101 children listed for adoption. According to the Social Welfare Department (SWD), 34 had disabilities, 33 were aged three or above, 29 had a complicated family background such as having a birth parent who was drug dependent or with mental health problems, and five had issues with their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3155894/adoptions-hong-kong-fall-few-children-listed-and-adoptive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3155894/adoptions-hong-kong-fall-few-children-listed-and-adoptive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:20 +0000 Many private English teachers who remain in China are keeping a low profile amid China’s ongoing crackdown on off-campus education, and a number of private institutions remain stuck in an operational quagmire – saying they are unable to refund customers or provide back pay to employees and teachers. Several middle-class families from across China, including in provinces such as Guangdong, Sichuan, and Hubei, have filed lawsuits through local courts against a 22-year-old ESL (English as a second... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152540/chinas-education-crackdown-sparks-lawsuits-against-defunct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152540/chinas-education-crackdown-sparks-lawsuits-against-defunct?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Oct 2021 06:30:25 +0000 It is shocking to hear the government of Anhui, a rural province in central China that is traditionally a key source of migrant workers for coastal areas, acknowledge its birth rate is “falling off a cliff”.  The province, which has a population that is slightly smaller than France, may only have 530,000 births this year, which would be about half the 984,000 it recorded in 2017, according to local authorities. France, as a reference, had 696,900 births last year. The situation in Anhui is... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3151103/chinas-population-crisis-here-stay-beijing-doing-enough-limit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3151103/chinas-population-crisis-here-stay-beijing-doing-enough-limit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Oct 2021 08:00:22 +0000 Celebrity crushes are usually associated with screaming teenage girls swarming a famous face at film premieres or concerts – but you would be surprised how often they happen to adults who are (more or less) in loving relationships. Successful relationships require a delicate balance between safety and adventure. These are two states that rarely coexist for long periods of time. Marriage and commitment offer us stability and comfort, but they are also well-known passion killers. A crush on a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3142189/dont-let-crush-celebrity-ruin-your-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3142189/dont-let-crush-celebrity-ruin-your-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jul 2021 19:30:13 +0000 On Christmas Day in 2010, I turned 17. As I blew out my birthday candles, I wished that I could be healthy, as I was in some discomfort. Less than a month later, I was in hospital in Hebei province, in China, for a check-up after suffering severe stomach aches. The doctors sent me home. In February 2011, I was in hospital again, and in much more pain. Surgeons removed a 22cm (8.7 inch) tumour from my abdomen. My friends and classmates visited me in hospital and brought lovely gifts – crystal... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3141380/why-my-chinese-parents-hid-my-cancer-diagnosis-me-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3141380/why-my-chinese-parents-hid-my-cancer-diagnosis-me-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jul 2021 06:15:11 +0000 A brochure from Taiwan on a hospital counter in Beijing that offered ideas on how to teach autistic children was the catalyst for Tian Huiping to open the Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism in 1993, the first social organisation of its kind in China. Tian’s son had been diagnosed with autism, a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction from early childhood. With no group providing assistance to autistic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3139045/his-father-was-holding-stick-discipline-him-autism-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3139045/his-father-was-holding-stick-discipline-him-autism-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 23:15:07 +0000 China is hoping a major policy shift allowing couples to have up to three children – scrapping a two-child limit – will help tackle the problem of its ageing population. But researchers are not optimistic young Chinese will be convinced to have more children, largely due to the cost of raising them. An online survey conducted soon after the change was announced on Monday suggests it could be a hard sell: 90 per cent of respondents said they “would not consider” having three children. State news... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3135815/too-much-pressure-mixed-reaction-chinas-new-3-child-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3135815/too-much-pressure-mixed-reaction-chinas-new-3-child-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jun 2021 22:00:12 +0000 Many of us have been living in close quarters with family members or partners for extended periods after more than a year of various lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. However, being physically close with each other doesn’t always spawn meaningful bonding. Sometimes, forced intimacy might have the opposite effect. Being cooped up with someone can drive you apart and create emotional – as well as physical – distance. There are many reasons that lead to couples feeling emotionally distant... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3135169/signs-you-are-growing-apart-relationship-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3135169/signs-you-are-growing-apart-relationship-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 May 2021 18:30:16 +0000 Sometimes, people in a long-term partnership find it difficult to see anything other than the problems – or worse, they see problems that don’t exist.  It’s often because they take the relationship and their partner for granted. It can also be the result of emotional dumping, feeling bored in the relationship, or in the hopes that the other person will end things because the love is gone.  Whatever the underlying motives, there is no running away and both partners need to face the music. You can... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3129686/negativity-slow-acting-poison-relationship-counter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3129686/negativity-slow-acting-poison-relationship-counter?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Apr 2021 18:00:13 +0000 Self-forgiveness is the biggest gift we can give ourselves, but it’s not an easy one to attain.  People who withhold self-love often find that they are constantly at war with themselves. So, when things go wrong in a relationship, it leaves them feeling unfulfilled and unloved.  Having the punishing feeling that we have done wrong things in the past makes it difficult to forgive ourselves. This self-punishment we inflict upon ourselves means we are constantly holding ourselves accountable,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3128068/how-forgive-yourself-and-why-self-forgiveness-helps-us-truly-give-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3128068/how-forgive-yourself-and-why-self-forgiveness-helps-us-truly-give-love?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Apr 2021 18:30:08 +0000 Dividing housework can be one of the most divisive disagreements in a marriage, and one woman in China managed to get paid for the chores she performed during a 5-year-long marriage.  The legal judgment, the first of its kind in China, has sparked heated debate about putting a monetary value on unpaid work – still mostly done by women – at home.  During a divorce proceeding starting in 2020, the court awarded the ex-wife, surnamed Wang, a US$7,700 one time payment for housework she had done... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-woman-receives-payment-housework-divorce-ruling/article/3122919?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-woman-receives-payment-housework-divorce-ruling/article/3122919?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Feb 2021 10:37:19 +0000 Widespread sleep deprivation among Chinese children has prompted the government to include students’ sleep hours in its appraisal of schools. The Ministry of Education has called on schools to find ways to ensure students get enough sleep, and will make it part of the school’s evaluation, according to a recent speech by Education Minister Chen Baosheng. Sleep deprivation, mainly caused by heavy academic pressure and longer screen time, is one of the issues the ministry is determined to address... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3121154/chinese-government-calls-schools-fix-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3121154/chinese-government-calls-schools-fix-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 12:15:17 +0000 Chinese education officials’ call for more physical fitness classes in schools to make the country’s young men more masculine has been met with outrage by critics who say the move could result in increased domestic violence and other social problems. Local governments and schools will soon be required to increase the number of gym teachers as well as improve teaching methods that “cultivate masculinity”, according to the Ministry of Education’s plan announced on Thursday. The initiatives aim to... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3120078/chinas-plans-cultivate-masculinity-more-gym-classes-and-male?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3120078/chinas-plans-cultivate-masculinity-more-gym-classes-and-male?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Feb 2021 10:45:17 +0000 China will soon join dozens of other countries in banning parents from spanking their children. While corporal punishment was outlawed in China in 1986, the practice remains widespread, particularly in rural areas. A new family education law prohibits the use of violence to “educate” children on how to behave. The law is awaiting approval by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. Authorities have until now struggled to implement the 1986 law. Families... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3119258/hitting-or-scolding-your-child-will-soon-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3119258/hitting-or-scolding-your-child-will-soon-be?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2021 13:15:16 +0000 A gay couple adopt a child and start a family together. In China, where many barely acknowledge the existence of the LGBT community, this touching real-life story was made into a movie by 19-year-old Ran Yinxiao. Forbidden Love in Heaven, released in July on several Chinese streaming platforms, follows the story of a man who finds a child on the streets and raises the boy with his male partner. Producing the film was a huge undertaking for the aspiring director from Chongqing, in China’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3115702/gay-adoption-drama-directed-teenager-tells-chinese-true?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3115702/gay-adoption-drama-directed-teenager-tells-chinese-true?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2020 20:15:16 +0000 The battle being fought by some of China’s “left-behind” children to build a better future is at the heart of a new documentary that has won plaudits for its inspiring story. The documentary – Tough Out – follows the efforts of a group of seven- to 12-year-olds who are swinging for a better life via the sport of baseball. The group’s efforts are aided by former baseball star Sun Lingfeng. Directed by young filmmaker Xu Huijing, Tough Out was released last week. The production has already won... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3114506/film-uses-baseball-show-plight-left-behind-children-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3114506/film-uses-baseball-show-plight-left-behind-children-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:15:05 +0000 A short film by Oscar-winning director Chen Kaige has been denounced in China for “romanticizing” surrogacy, a practice that is banned on the mainland.  Ten Months With You has sparked outrage on social media and from state-owned media for “glorifying” the illegal activity and painting it in a positive light.  “They did something illegal but didn’t receive any punishment. What kind of values does this film convey?” one of the more than 70,000 posts on China’s Twitter-like platform, Weibo,... https://www.scmp.com/society/china-uproar-over-surrogacy-film/article/3113521?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/china-uproar-over-surrogacy-film/article/3113521?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Dec 2020 11:09:09 +0000 As honeymoons go, they do not get much briefer than this, but when the bride is a 13-year-old girl from southern China who has been ordered to go back to school, you can understand why it was suddenly cut short. The 13-year-old got married to a 17-year-old boy in a formal ceremony based on local customs last week after they had a romantic relationship for more than a year, the Guiyu township government in Shantou, Guangdong province, said in a statement over the weekend. By Chinese law, a man... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3112044/married-13-chinese-child-bride-sent-back-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3112044/married-13-chinese-child-bride-sent-back-school?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2020 04:37:05 +0000 Xiao Xue, a stay-at-home mother in Shanghai, is excited she will be celebrating her 50th birthday next year because she will be eligible to receive pensions. For people like Xiao, who are unemployed, the retirement age is 50. “I have been paying for the social security scheme all these years as a freelancer,” she told the Post. “I feel I am lucky because I can retire at 50, but for people younger than me, they probably have to retire at an older age and they hate that.” China’s retirement policy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110984/its-hard-women-over-50-find-jobs-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110984/its-hard-women-over-50-find-jobs-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 12:15:16 +0000 The problems working mothers face have become an increasingly hot issue around the world, and China is no exception. More than eight out of 10 professional women who took part in a recent survey in China said they believed that giving birth had affected their chances of getting a promotion, and 30 per cent said they had tried to hide their pregnancy for as long as possible in case they were replaced. Nine out of 10 of those surveyed said they had been asked about their plans for motherhood... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110746/working-mothers-china-lack-support-employers-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3110746/working-mothers-china-lack-support-employers-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2020 07:15:12 +0000 Some critics say a prenuptial agreement is bad for marital health because it puts undue emphasis on protecting assets and personal interests. Others view prenups as a practicality. It is essentially a contract that sets out what a couple wants to include and exclude in their financial arrangements while they’re together and in the event of them splitting up. “Without such a document, you’re putting your lives in the hands of the court, where the starting point can be equal division of all... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3102040/why-prenup-could-improve-your-marriage-and-even-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3102040/why-prenup-could-improve-your-marriage-and-even-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2020 18:30:16 +0000 Child abuse in Hong Kong is escalating as stressed parents – many who have lost their jobs – spend more time at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Vanessa Hemavathi, board chair of Help for Children Asia, the Hong Kong affiliate of global foundation HFC that’s on a mission to prevent child abuse. Adding to the problem, Hemavathi says, are vulnerable children separated from schools and social support systems. “People are trapped in their houses and they’re frustrated.” One of the main... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3100671/child-abuse-hong-kong-escalating-pandemic-sees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3100671/child-abuse-hong-kong-escalating-pandemic-sees?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2020 09:15:11 +0000 It has been 20 years this month since Yu Man-hon ran away from his mother and into the headlines. Physically, he was aged 15; mentally, the doctors said, he was about two. He was strong enough to leap off the MTR train just as the doors were closing at Yau Ma Tei station on Hong Kong’s Kowloon peninsula and, somehow, make his way to the Lo Wu crossing to mainland China 25km (16 miles) away. What he couldn’t understand was the concept of borders. It must have been a sleepy Thursday afternoon at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3098238/he-went-missing-child-china-20-years-ago-remembering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3098238/he-went-missing-child-china-20-years-ago-remembering?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2020 01:15:10 +0000 He heaves his hoe in the rice field, under the noonday sun; on to the soil of the rice field his streaming sweat beads run This classical Chinese poem reminding people to treasure food has been one of the first things taught to schoolchildren in China for decades. But wasted food in the world’s most populous country has become so prevalent its leader has called for national action. Can China stop wasting food? Reform on menu after Xi dishes out scolding President Xi Jinping wants China to treat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3097380/chinas-tradition-hospitality-may-need-reshaping-if-food-waste?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3097380/chinas-tradition-hospitality-may-need-reshaping-if-food-waste?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Aug 2020 05:00:21 +0000 Online vitriol over one of China’s “left-behind children”, who was admitted to a top Chinese university but chose to study archaeology instead of a more lucrative major, has sparked debate about social class in China. Zhong Fangrong, a student in central China’s Hunan province, recently made news headlines for scoring 676 out of 750 on her college entrance exam and taking fourth place in her province. She told the media she would apply for the archaeology major at Peking University, one of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3095867/class-debate-china-over-high-achieving-left-behind-child-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3095867/class-debate-china-over-high-achieving-left-behind-child-who?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:22 +0000 Singled out to collect litter, made the butt of jokes about skin colour, and having to tolerate cultural insensitivity are among complaints that have been raised by ethnic minority parents whose children study in English Schools Foundation (ESF) institutions in Hong Kong. The issues have come to light following the publication of an open letter last month by a Year 13 student at King George V School, accusing teachers of “making fun of the names of Asian students” and other acts of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3091530/hong-kongs-esf-schools-hit-more-allegations-racism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3091530/hong-kongs-esf-schools-hit-more-allegations-racism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:15:18 +0000 The son took turns with his brother to look after their 79-year-old, partially paralysed mother in northwest China but still the burden was too much. Last month, he was charged with attempted murder, accused of burying the incontinent woman alive because he resented her smell in the house, police in Shaanxi province said. Miraculously the mother survived and was found three days later. Not so fortunate was an 83-year-old disabled woman in the eastern province of Jiangsu who was allegedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3087180/chinas-elderly-caught-clash-between-culture-and-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3087180/chinas-elderly-caught-clash-between-culture-and-care?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jun 2020 02:00:18 +0000 China has passed a law establishing a cooling-off period for couples who want to dissolve their marriage in an effort to lower the country’s soaring divorce rate. From next year, couples ready for a divorce-by-agreement must wait 30 days to rethink their decision, according to a new Civil Code law passed by the National People’s Congress on Thursday. People can withdraw their divorce application within this time. After the waiting period, those who go to the civil affairs authority and still... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3086837/new-law-requires-30-day-cooling-period-chinese-couples-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3086837/new-law-requires-30-day-cooling-period-chinese-couples-can?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2020 06:00:14 +0000 On a spring day earlier this year Carson Lei held the hand of his 16-month-old son as the toddler learned to navigate a sandy beach in southern China. The child was faltering as he tried to walk but helping him along was not only Lei but also the businessman’s seven-year-old son. The two children have different biological parents but they have enabled Lei, who lives in Dongguan in Guangdong province, to create a family that has eased the years of pain he felt about being misunderstood and not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3085451/chinas-lgbt-parents-find-family-and-joy-through-surrogacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3085451/chinas-lgbt-parents-find-family-and-joy-through-surrogacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2020 02:00:12 +0000 A man who was kidnapped as a child has finally been reunited with his parents after 32 years, bringing to an end one of China’s most notorious abduction cases. Mao Yin was two when he disappeared in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, in 1988 and was sold to another family who raised him as their own son. Mao, who was renamed Gu Ningning by his adoptive parents, was reunited with his mother and father – Li Jingzhi and Mao Zhenjing – on Monday at a press conference organised by the police... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3084925/chinese-family-reunited-kidnapped-son-after-32-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3084925/chinese-family-reunited-kidnapped-son-after-32-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2020 23:45:09 +0000 Psychologist Huang Jing has been busier than ever since a deadly coronavirus pandemic erupted in China late last year. Huang, based in the eastern city of Hangzhou, has clients in China and overseas, and her services have been in greater demand as the pressures of the disease and enforced isolation strain families and marriages to breaking point. She said the pandemic was putting a “magnifying glass” on relationships, bringing cracks into sharper focus, with families in many cities forced to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3080914/coronavirus-how-being-forced-together-tearing-couples-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3080914/coronavirus-how-being-forced-together-tearing-couples-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2020 22:00:15 +0000 The past 10 months have been extremely stressful for many families in Hong Kong. The global coronavirus pandemic, coming hard on the heels of eight months of violent protests, has created unprecedented challenges. And for couples in the process of divorcing, the pressure is even more intense. Even before the viral outbreak occurred, Hong Kong’s family courts faced a serious backlog, with those looking to set a court date facing up to a nine-month wait for a hearing. With the adjournment of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3076876/how-coronavirus-hitting-divorcing-couples-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3076876/how-coronavirus-hitting-divorcing-couples-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2020 07:05:25 +0000