The Impact of One-child Policy on Generation Born in the 1980s in China - Research Proposal Example

Personal proposal The Impact of One-child Policy on Generation Born in the 1980s in China Submitted by…………………………………………. Introduction In early 1990s, as Von (2008) puts it, Chinese families were used to having, on average, four children each. However, life changed completely in 1979 as one-child policy was introduced. The policy demanded that parents could only give birth to one child. Von claims that this policy was the China’s official population control method. Now, after thirty six years since this policy was introduced, generation born during early 1980s are joining parenthood. This implies that the policy achieved its original objective of reducing China`s population growth rate. However, the policy also caused some social problems to this younger generation. That is, these generation, for instance, is not familiar with China`s traditional cultures compared to the children of preceding generations. Moreover, the ideologies and values held by the current generation have tremendously changed over time. As such, this paper explores the reality behind this change in ideologies and values held by the current families in China. Problem Statement The research intends to explore the impact of Chinas one-child policy upon Chinese family structures today. We will do this investigation by analyzing the changes of values held by the generation born in the 1980s and the interactions between these changes and Chinese films in the Chinese context of a single ideology. We will explore the identity of this generation of Chinese in the form of an experimental documentary in conjunction with social surveys and research into Chinas independent documentaries and films in recent time. Research Question Going by the intention of this research, we formulated the research questions as follows: a) Are the films and the generation born in the 1980s responsible for the change in values and ideologies held by families in the current Chinese society? b) Did the one-child policy adopted by China aided in the erosion of the social values and ideologies held by the Chinese families? c) Did foreign documentaries also shaped the values and ideologies held by the generation of Chinese born in the 1980s? Background Information In 1980, as required by the Chinese central government, the one-child policy officially began to be rolled out throughout the Chinese mainland. Currently, the only nation in the entire world that adopts a mandatory one-child policy is China. This policy has given rise to the abnormal family structures in China today (a family of one child, two parents and four grandparents), which have subsequently caused a series of social problems. It has also resulted in a young generation rather unique in Chinas history, namely, the generation born in the 1980s that is also the first generation referred to as a group. Chinese of this generation are in their thirties now and are gradually becoming the mainstay of Chinas social development. They have also witnessed profound transformation during the thirty years of their growing up in China. Their ways of thinking, ways of life and values have all been evolving constantly, following rapid changes of all these years in China. This has been a dynamic situation. Moreover, China is a country with a single ideology and this generation of Chinese is the first generation in China that has also been subject to the wide impact of foreign cultures. A study of this generation in China is also a study of the ideology and widely established values in the Chinese society today. Why the Proposed Research is Important According to Chen & Powell (2012) social values indicate the basic orientation of ways of life, social ideals and spiritual beliefs that a nation, country or culture represents. They determine basic judgments people make about what is right or wrong, good or bad, kind or evil, beautiful or ugly, in the political, societal, ethical, artistic domains. As such, when these values change over time, the culture of the society also changes; something which is not desirable. Mainstream values are not invariable. In a developed country, a film tends to present two types of basic values. One is the superhero type which mainly exists in US films. The other type cares and offers consolation about the lives of ordinary people and even of failures. Unfortunately, neither of these two types of values exists in Chinese films. Mainstream values in Chinese films, which are necessarily based on the Chinese social reality, comprises one type that cares about individuals’ personal endeavours and another type that reflects upon the society through the stories of insignificant people in it. No matter what form of narrative a film adopts, its values are always present in the inner world of its characters. We will conduct an in-depth research into the values represented in Chinese independent films in recent time and probe into the bearing of the locus of value changes in the generation born in the 1980s upon Chinese films. According to Bazin & Cardullo (2014), Andre Bazin holds that the original number-one feature of film art is that of “capturing what is real”. It is closer to life and to reality than any other forms of art. Both films and documentaries rely on time to narrate events. Thus, not only can we learn about the characteristics of an era from a film but also about the values people from that era in the film hold. Also, representation of this kind of values in the film has an effect upon the audience. Research Design Qualitative technique, alongside quantitative technique, will be used to answer the research questions. This will be done as through: i. Desk research We will first provide an overview of the impact of China’s one-child policy upon the Chinese society in recent time, covering changes of family structures, social problems thus triggered and their impact upon individuals in China. The portrayal of these problems in Chinese films in recent time is a kind of restoration of reality, for example, according to Chen & Powell (2012), Xinyu Hu’s 2008 documentary entitled “Family Fear”, an early feature film by Yuan Zhang entitled “Mother” and a 2006 film entitled “Looking Pretty”, all represent the miniature environments in which the Chinese generation born in the 1980s has grown up. We will study about the film sociology, in order to clarify the relations between film and the current generation in china. ii. Social research We will compare and analyze the development and changes of the values held by this generation of Chinese incorporating the social background, social transformation and ideology under the policy for the analysis of Chinese and foreign documentaries and films. iii. Location research We will conduct individual interviews with Chinese born in the 1980s in china and abroad. The reason for such grouping is that I want to explore and compare the values held by those Chinese born in the 1980s living in the Chinese culture with the changed values of those living in a Western culture. Meanwhile, a question that may arise is how their values will change when this generation of Chinese living under a Western ideology? iv. Action research We will make a documentary film for the generation born in the 1980s in China. As an additional research, we will conduct an interview with Chinese film directors born in the 1980s to discuss the future of Chinese independent films and documentaries as they see it. This research is the continuation and extension of the work I carried out on a subject while I was studying a postgraduate course at the Central Saint Martins. I was then still adapting to a Western education system that was entirely different from Chinas and gradually began to develop a different perspective. Under the subject "is this tomorrow" then, I designed a poster about the impact of Chinas one-child policy upon the future and, from my own personal experience, told about the effect of this policy on the family structures of my parents, my peers and my children. It is my plan to conduct an in-depth research in the coming three years into the values of people of my generation through documentary films. This research will also be the theoretical foundation for the creation and study of independent documentaries that I will devote myself to in future. Expected Results We anticipate to show, through our research, that the one-child policy has given rise to a socially dangerous family structures in China today. That is, a family of four grandparents, with only two parents and just one child. Such, a family structure, according to Von (2008), can subsequently cause a series of social problems. We expect also to prove that the policy has resulted in a young generation which is rather unique in the history of China: the generation born in the 1980s. Similarly, we intend to empirically prove that technology and the film industry have been on the forefront in eroding the ideologies and values in Chinese society. In other words, apart from technology, a film as a form of art needs many other elements among which is the very important humanistic spirits. Most of the films and TV productions in China today rapidly turn to be more technology-based and for entertainment purposes. The humanistic qualities of those involved in China’s film production thus appear less and less important. This has confirmed one of the points Martin Heidegger (2010) put forward: “the technological day is the world’s night.” Science and technology are sweeping across all corners of the world. In the film industry that sets more and more store by technology and big productions, we intend to show that Chinese independent films that attach great importance to emotional depth and humanistic spirits are still lingering on nowadays. As Heidegger argues that human beings should “inhabit the earth poetically”. However, we intend to show, through this research, that an era of technology is precisely the killer of poetry and other social values. As the values of Chinese film directors born in the 1980s are also influencing future development of Chinese independent films, we intend to find where the future of Chinese films will be. Bibliography Balibar, E., & Althusser, L. 2014. On the reproduction of capitalism: Ideology and ideological state apparatuses. S.l.: Verso. Bazin, A., & In Cardullo, B. 2014. Bazin on global cinema, 1948-1958. Chen, S., & Powell, J. L. 2012. Aging in China: Implications to social policy of a changing economic state. New York: Springer. Heidegger, M. 2010. The phenomenology of religious life. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Von, D. P. J. C. 2008. Moral issues and concerns about chinas one-child policy. S.l.: Grin Verlag Ohg. Read More