Cai Hua, who was born in 1979, poses for a photograph in Shanghai August
30, 2014. Hua said: “I wish I had a sister. I prefer to have a sister
rather than a brother. I have a lot of friends who have a brother and
they usually fight with each other. I think it would be very funny but I
would prefer to have a sister”. Reuters Photographer Carlos Barria
photographed a person born in each year China’s one child policy has
been in existence; from a man born in 1979, to a baby born in 2014, and
asked them if they would have like to have siblings. China, the world’s
most populous country with nearly 1.4 billion people, says the country’s
one-child policy has averted 400 million births since 1980, saving
scarce food resources and helping to pull families out of poverty.
Couples violating the policy have had to pay a fine, or in some cases
have been forced to undergo abortions. But late last year, China said it
would allow millions of families to have two children, part of a plan
to raise fertility rates and ease the financial burden on a rapidly
ageing population. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Huang Zheng, who was born in 1980, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 28, 2014. Zheng said: “Yes. Of course I’d like to have a brother
or a sister, because I would have someone to live and study with. If
possible, I’d like to have an older sister. It’s more appropriate and
easier to communicate with a sister, rather than with your parents, when
you’re faced with some problems. I’m not saying I feel lonely. It just
would make life more colourful”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhou Yu, who was born in 1981, poses for a photograph in Shanghai August
28, 2014. “I wish I could have one brother because I am the only child
in my family and while I do have lots of cousins, I’m the oldest one. So
sometimes I wish I had an older brother to take care of me. Growing up,
I think I missed having male role models”, said Yu. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Xu Yufang, who was born in 1982, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 22, 2014. Yufang said: “I longed to have a brother to protect me,
because I’m alone”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Qin Wen, who was born in 1983, poses for a photograph in Shanghai August
22, 2014. Wen said: “I think it’s good to have a brother or a sister”.
(Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Liu Yun, who was born in 1984, poses for a photograph in Shanghai July
29, 2014. Yun said: “I’m a single child. I don’t want to have any
brother or sister. I have cousins, I would say we love each other and we
have very good connections. So I never feel I need a brother or a
sister”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhang Bowen, who was born in 1985, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
July 25, 2014. Bowen said: “I’d like to have a sister or a brother,
because I would feel less lonely growing up”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Lu Da, who was born in 1986, poses for a photograph in Shanghai July 23,
2014. “If there is a chance I’d like to have brothers and sisters. On
the one hand, during my growth it is a good thing to have a brother or a
sister who has similar age around. For many things I could discuss with
him or her. On the other hand when my parents get older I need to take
the responsibility of taking care of them. If there are brothers or
sisters at home things will be much easier”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Chen Xuejun, who was born in 1987, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 30, 2014. Xuejun said: “I want to have an older brother. We could
play together and he would protect me”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Dai Chen, who was born in 1988, poses for a photograph in Shanghai July
23, 2014. Chen said: “I don’t want to have siblings because if I had a
brother or a sister I would have to share. It would be difficult to get a
good education”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhu Wenjun, who was born in 1989, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 24, 2014. Wenjun said: “Of course I want to have a brother or a
sister because being a single child is so lonely. I want to have someone
to play with and grow up with”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Huang Erbin, who was born in 1992, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
July 31, 2014. When asked if she would like siblings Erbin said: “No,
because of some financial reasons and another problem is I don’t want to
share my parents’ love with other people”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Zhang Haoran, who was born in 1990, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 22, 2014. Haoran said: “Actually it would be a good thing to have
brothers or sisters who are of similar age. Then some problems that
arise in our adulthood might be solved (more easily). For example,
communication with peers, and also learning sharing, individualism”.
(Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Xiao Wenjin, who was born in 1991, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
July 29, 2014. “I wish I had brothers and sisters because I think it’s
interesting. I wouldn’t feel so lonely. We would have to share … I like
to share”, said Wenjin. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Jiang Chencheng, who was born in 1993, poses for a photograph in
Shanghai July 23, 2014. Chencheng said: “I wouldn’t like to have a
brother or a sister because I would have to share the (family’s)
financial (resources) with them and it would be very difficult for our
parents to send them to good universities”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Wang Yanrong, who was born in 1994, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 16, 2014. Yanrong said: “Yes, I would like to have a brother or a
sister because that would be much more fun. There are times when you
don’t know who to talk to and then it would be better if I had a
sibling. I know a cousin who has a sibling and they have a very good
relationship”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Lv Mengmeng, who was born in 1995, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 22, 2014. When asked if she would like siblings, Mengmeng said:
“Maybe brothers, because I think they could protect me”. (Photo by
Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Yang Zheng, who was born in 1996, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
September 3, 2014. Zheng said: “I would like to have a big brother to
teach me things, take me travelling and take care of me”. (Photo by
Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhang Xiaoying, who was born in 1998, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 24, 2014. Xiaoying said, “Yes, because if I had a brother older
than me, he could help me do many things, play with me”. (Photo by
Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhao Mengge, who was born in 1997, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
September 6, 2014. “Yes I’d like to have sisters. Little sisters are not
naughty and they are easier to look after”, said Mengge. (Photo by
Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Zhu Diwen, who was born in 1999, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 22, 2014. Diwen said: “I have a cousin and I don’t want to have
brothers and sisters”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Yao Jihan, who was born in 2000, poses for a photograph in Shanghai July
27, 2014. When asked if he would like siblings Jihan said: “No. I don’t
know. Maybe, maybe, because it’s troublesome. If there is one more
person in this house, the room will not be big enough to hold two
children. I don’t feel lonely because I have a lot of friends”. (Photo
by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Dai Jingting, who was born in 2001, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
September 20, 2014. Jingting said she would like siblings “because it
would be boring for me to stay at home alone”. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Ding Tieru, who was born in 2002, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
July 27, 2014. “I have a cousin. I’d like to have a brother. Because we
would be able to play together. I want more friends. We would be able to
help each other in our studies”, said Tieru. (Photo by Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
Only child Wang Qi’an, who was born in 2003, poses for a photograph in
Shanghai August 15, 2014. When asked if he would like to have siblings,
Qi’an said: “No because I have investigated all my classmates who have
brothers or sisters. None of them perform well in their studies”. (Photo
by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Only child Qian Dingheng, who was born in 2005, poses for a photograph
in Shanghai August 30, 2014. “I don’t want (a sibling), because he would
interrupt my homework”, Dingheng said. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Liu Yuwei, who was born in 2006, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 16, 2014. Yuwei said she would like siblings “because I want to
play with them”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Yu Yan, who was born in 2004, poses for a photograph in Shanghai August
24, 2014. “I want to have someone to play with” said Yan. (Photo by
Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Only child Ding Zhongcheng, who was born in 2008, poses for a photograph
in Shanghai August 30, 2014. “I don’t want to have older brothers or
sisters or younger ones either, because I don’t want them to mess up all
the things in the house. If there was a chance that my mother could
give birth to older siblings, then I would accept it”, Zhongcheng said.
(Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Liang Xiao, who was born in 2007, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 24, 2014. “I want a little sister because little brothers are
naughty”, Xiao said. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Only child Liu Ziyu, who was born in 2009, poses for a photograph in
Shanghai August 30, 2014. When asked if she would like to have siblings,
Ziyu said that she didn’t want any “because my mother would pay full
attention to him or her”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Qin Wuyue, who was born in 2010, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 22, 2014. When asked if he would like to have siblings, Wuyue
said: “No they’re noisy”. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Xin Zhiteng, who was born in 2012, poses for a photograph in Shanghai
August 30, 2014. Zhiteng did not say if he would like to have siblings.
(Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)
