Population Policy in the People's Republic of China

From an insider’s perspective, this book elaborates on the three stages of population policies since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). As a key policy discussant and drafter, the author incorporates some valuable documentaries and manuscripts that have not been revealed in the extant literature and brings in new theoretical angles for interpretations of population policies in the PRC. This book begins with a brief review of population policies in ancient China and then focuses on the population debates and growing concerns for population growth in the first thirty years of the PRC. This is followed by telling the whole story of the PRC’s one-child policy, including theoretical discussions, the policy’s situated social context, policy details, and strategies. Lastly, this book discusses the population changes and trends in the twenty-first century and provides advice on China’s population development strategies in the future. Throughout the book, the author draws on his own experience in population policy-making to provide new insights in his review of China’s one-child policy and facilitates a delineation of population changes among social developments, population debates, and government policy changes. This book is intended for readers who are interested in population policies of the PRC. It is particularly useful for students and researchers specializing in China’s population studies and serves as a trustworthy source for those wanting a holistic picture of the PRC’s population policies.

Xueyuan Tian is an academician of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the former director of the Institute of Population Research at CASS, and the engaged policy-maker of China’s one-child policy. Due to these roles, he is often referred to as the “father of family planning” in China. Prof. Tian has published over 20 monographs and more than 500 journal articles. He was the winner of Chinese Population Prize, National Book Award, and the first prize of National Science and Technology Advancement Award. His key research interests are population studies and China’s socio-economic development.