“I Have a Little Brother Now!”

by+Li+Yilin

On October 29， 2015， China announced a two-child policy for all married couples in a communique issued after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee. The policy is subject to approval by the National Peoples Congress（NPC）， Chinas top legislature， in early 2016. Chinas demographers and economists believe that the new policy， when adopted， will be a big step forward from the more than three-decade-old one-child policy. “I cannot believe that we became the only generation of one-child in Chinas history，” some Chinese netizens lament jokingly on the internet.

From the one-child policy to the 2013 conditional two-child policy of allowing couples two children if one of the parents is an only child， to the new two-child policy， the changes are a result of the countrys social and economic development. While China has shifted its policy from family planning to encouraging couples to have a second child， the government needs to come up with more preferential policies and concrete support for eligible families.

Preparing for a New Life

Born in the 1980s， Yang Ling and his wife Jiang Anqing now live in southwestern Chinas Guizhou Province， with one of them being the only child. Before the conditional two-child policy of 2013， their “421” family structure – a term coined for a multigenerational household of four grandparents， two parents and one child – was typical among their peers. However， in 2013， the conditional twochild policy brought about big changes in the Yang family.

After getting married， the couple soon had their first kid， a boy called Yang Ximu. Following the conditional two-child policy， the couple decided on something “big”： a second child. And， they wanted a girl.

At that time， their son was soon to be three. The boy could already communicate， eat and play on his own. The couple believed that since the son was “old” enough， they wouldnt have too much difficulty taking care of the two. Besides， they could “guide” the boy to help with the baby. “I think we had favorable conditions for a second kid. It was just the right time，” father Yang Ling recalls with a smile.

Even so， the couple thought it over carefully. Of course， it was their economic condition that came to their minds first： Having a baby is just the first step， raising the child is a more serious matter. The couple worked for the same， profitable state-owned enterprise， and had stable incomes， an apartment and a car. Their parents enjoy fairly good retirement benefits， which meant they didnt need to provide them allowances for the time being. Thus， Yang believed that another child would not mean an economic burden， but more happiness. More importantly， the two kids would grow up together and be companions – a benefit which cannot be measured by money.

From Three to Four

“Little Rice” is the name Yang Ximu gave to his brother when baby was still in the womb. On July 27， 2015， “Little Rice，” a lovely boy， came into the world.

To the three-year-old， “younger brother” wasnt familiar. “I dont think my elder son realized when the babys was born that he would need to share with another people things such as parents love， toys， and snacks， which belonged to him alone in the past，” father Yang Ling said. “Therefore， when my second son was born， we resolved to love them both equally. We decided to do something to make the elder one accept and love the new fam- ily member.”

With the help of parents， there came changes in the life of the elder brother. Before the siblings birth， the elder one， as the center of the family， was willful and unreasonable at times. With the addition， the elder gradually learned to share and care more for others. “One day， the younger one who was sleeping on the sofa， kicked his quilt. Seeing that， my elder son came forward， tucked the quilt， and then quietly left，” recalled mother Jiang Anqing.“At that moment， I felt that all I had been through during my two pregnancies was worthwhile.”

A Different World

For two-child families， it is not only happiness that has doubled. One more kid means many things， including expenditure and effort for taking care of them， have doubled. When the Yang family goes shopping， the cart is jammed with kid stuff. The mother needs to buy combo size for many things and household chores also increase. “Sometimes there is so much laundry to do， and since my husband and I need to go to work， we have to ask our parents to help，” says Jiang Anqing.

For all that， “a family of four is better than a family of three，” says the couple. “Just like the generation of my father， brothers and sisters take care of each other.” Yang believes that when the brothers have their own families， life would become more bustling and lively especially during festivals and holidays. Besides， “They have each other to depend on when they grow up.”

“These are just a few of the benefits the two children will bring to my family，” says Yang. In less than 20 years， his sons will enter the larger world， and join the new productive forces of China. Two children have changed the world of Yang and his wife. Soon， the two-child policy will change China， too.