0057 One Little King

China’s one child policy has accomplished what it set out to do: decrease the population of the world’s most populous nation, but it has also changed the typical family configuration and created the “four grandparents, two parents, and one little king” family. Americans might well equate this only child set up with “spoiled brat” and, yes, there’s a certain level of indulgence that single Chinese children are enjoying these days, but today’s child will be tomorrow’s adult and the Chinese never lose sight of that: a single child may be showered with the wealth of parents and grandparents, but in a society where social security has not yet extended to a significant portion of the population, he is also under a great responsibility to care for those parents. Long live the king. #ceas #china #shrock #tsutsui