Public Reaction Focuses on Painful Legacy Rather Than Praise

Peng Peiyun, the former head of China’s Family Planning Commission and a key figure behind the country’s controversial one-child policy, has died in Beijing just days before her 96th birthday. While state media offered glowing tributes, public reaction on social media reflected anger, grief, and unresolved resentment linked to the policy’s lasting consequences.

State Media Praises, Social Media Condemns

Chinese state outlets described Peng, who led the Family Planning Commission from 1988 to 1998, as “an outstanding leader” for her work concerning women and children.

However, the response on platforms such as Weibo was sharply critical. Many users linked her legacy to forced abortions, sterilizations, and lost generations.

One widely shared comment read:
“Those children who were lost, naked, are waiting for you in the afterlife.”

A Policy That Shaped and Scarred a Nation

Introduced in 1980, the one-child policy strictly limited most couples to a single child for over three decades, lasting until 2015. In many cases, local authorities enforced the policy through coercive measures, including mandatory abortions and sterilization procedures.

The policy was originally designed to curb rapid population growth, which Chinese leaders feared could overwhelm economic and social systems.

Long-Term Consequences Now Haunt China

While population growth slowed, the policy eventually contributed to a severe demographic imbalance. China’s population has declined for three consecutive years and fell behind India’s in 2023. By last year, China’s population stood at approximately 1.39 billion.

Experts warn that the decline will accelerate further, with official 2025 data expected next month.

A Weibo user commented:
“If the one-child policy had ended ten years earlier, China’s population would not have collapsed like this.”

Rural Impact and Gender Imbalance

During Peng’s tenure, family planning efforts focused heavily on rural regions, where large families were traditionally viewed as essential for old-age support.

The strong cultural preference for sons led to widespread abandonment of infant girls and selective abortions, deepening China’s gender imbalance.

One social media post reflected on the loss:
“Those children, if they had lived, would be nearly 40 years old today—at the peak of their lives.”

Policy Shift Came Too Late

By the 2010s, Peng publicly acknowledged the need to relax the policy. Today, Beijing is actively trying to reverse the damage by encouraging childbirth through financial incentives, extended maternity leave, childcare subsidies, and tax relief.

Despite these efforts, birth rates remain stubbornly low.

Economic Risks of a Shrinking Population

China’s ageing population is raising serious concerns about the future of the world’s second-largest economy. A shrinking workforce, rising pension costs, and growing elderly care expenses are expected to put additional pressure on already debt-burdened local governments.