Only Hope: Coming of Age Under China s One-Child Policy

by Vanessa L. Fong

The first generation of children born under China's one-child family policy is now reaching adulthood. What are these children like? What are their values, goals, and interests? What kinds of relationships do they have with their families? This is the first in-depth study to analyze what it is like to grow up as the state-appointed vanguard of modernization. Based on surveys and ethnographic research in China, where the author lived with teenage only children and observed their homes and classrooms for 27 months between 1997 and 2002, the book explores the social, economic, and psychological consequences of the government's decision to accelerate the fertility transition. Only Hope shows how the one-child policy has largely succeeded in its goals, but with unintended consequences. Only children are expected to be the primary providers of support and care for their retired parents, grandparents, and parents-in-law, and only a very lucrative position will allow them to provide for so many dependents. Many only children aspire to elite status even though few can attain it, and such aspirations lead to increased stress and competition, as well as intense parental involvement.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Cultural Studies

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jenny_E1]

This book very much describes the current challenges China is facing in result of the one child policy. Many people were effected by the change of law and seeing the actual effects on the country with evidence helps people state more concerns about how this changed society. Personally, I think that overpopulation is definitely something to worry about; but I think that the way the law was written and how strict it was is kind of ridiculous considering that we are in modern society and we have many ways we can limit the population other than the one child policy. On the other hand, I also do think that the one child policy is beneficial by limiting competition for jobs, better schools and recourses because we only have limited amounts jobs, good schools and recourses. But with new technology coming out very often to help the environmental issues, I think that the one child policy should be ended for good.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The insight was interesting albeit. Definitely not a "fun" read, but the stories of how urban Chinese teenagers lived coming under the infamous One-Child Policy made for interesting points during my paper

[Lillyana · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book absolutely has academic merit, unfortunately I had to read it for class and it was an absolute slog to get through

[Bob Schmitz]

recommended by Michaala Chan 1/2017

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book totally brought out the China geek in me! Reading about Vanessa's experiences in China with her students and their families was fascinating. As an American, I think the one-child policy is misunderstood. A lot of people don't realize it is still in practice, others don't get why it is practiced, and others will probably get in a tizzy about China's civil rights record. But Only Hope looks deeper into what it means to be an only child in China today. How it not only impacts a child's life at school and at home, but also the deeper impact this situation has on the family as a hole. (And the personal stories in this one keep it interesting!)

[versarbre]

It relates the parental generation's over-investment in the one-child-policy-generation's educational career(aka upward mobility for acquiring wealth, which is status-related) to the latter's early familiarity with (as well as early internalization of) an upwardly consumer lifestyle. However, other than that, the ethnography lacks sufficient social and cultural analyses. It uses a framework of "first-world/third-world" separation which is more like a troupe. (A much better ethnographically grounded analysis could be found in Ortner's New Jersey Dreaming.)

[Possum P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised that this book is an ethnography. It's been on my to read list for years, and all this time I thought it was a memoir. It was a pretty light and easy read. Fong does not draw on too much of the masturbatory postmodernist reflexivity that makes a lot of modern ethnography unreadable, but she does write in an uncritical way that was..... Pretty relieving, to be honest. I can fill in what's missing with my own skepticism. I don't need apologetic reassurances from the author.

[A.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ethnography about the "singleton" generation of children born in China under the one child policy. Draws heavily on personal accounts with children and adults, and some data. It was an extremely interesting read although after finishing the book, I felt that the author was skimming the surface and could have gone much deeper. All in all, it was a well written, interesting ethnography that captured the lives of this generation and their parents as they struggled to attain elite status.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more about the Chinese educational system than anything else. It's an interesting ethnography, but it could have just as easily been an article.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at growing up as a single child in Dalian by anthropologist Vanessa Fong.