Love mommy & daddy, or else...
Jul. 10th, 2013 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterhttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/asia/china-elderly-law
Strange things are happening in China these days. Since July 1, a new law codifies the relations between parents and children, and makes the care for the elders an obligation. As of now, the Chinese are obliged to visit their aging parents frequently. Even if they are on non-speaking terms, or live thousands of km away.
By tradition, Chinese children are taught early that it is their duty to love and respect their parents. They recite verses in school about the principles of Confucianism. In his writings, Confucius encourages children to respect their elders and preaches that this respect is a fundamental element of moral behaviour, and a brick in the structure of any well-functioning society. And he goes further: it's not enough to just ensure the physical survival of the aging parents; "After all, don't we feed dogs out of mercy?", the ancient philosopher remarks.
The truly noble person, Confucius argues, ought to be looking after their parents both while they are among the living and after their passing. He or she must arrange a dignified funeral and pay them the tribute they deserve. So here we are, 2500 years later, where the PRC has turned this moral imperative into a legal obligation, and failing to comply would lead to penalties.
The new law has already taken its first "victims": http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/07/02/chinas-new-filial-piety-law-draws-first-blood/
If we are to go a bit deeper, the real reason for this law is in the huge social and demographic changes in China. There was a time when it was customary for several generations to share the same roof. But now with the rapid economic development in the last three decades, the family ties have been torn apart. Looking for better jobs and a better life, and better payment, millions of Chinese are leaving the family nest, and flocking from the rural areas to the fast-developing coastal regions and the capital Beijing. Some would later take their parents with them as well - hoping to be able to rely on them to look after their children for free. As cynical as it sounds, it's a symbiotic relationship between the generations, and the institution of the grandmother plays a crucial role in the Chinese society.
But many of the young Chinese who have moved to the urban regions, tend to cut all relations with their parents. Because of this, China is only now beginning to set up systems of social aid, and for millions of elderly people this can mean just one thing: continuous misery and solitude. The one-child policy has additionally deepened these alarming tendencies. At present, most Chinese families correspond to the "4-2-1" formula, i.e. one grandchild has to sustain two parents and four grandparents.
The Chinese society is aging fast, and this complicates the task of taking care of the elderly even more. Nearly 70 million Chinese aged 60+ now live in the so called "empty nests". The new law practically compels their children to look after them. It obliges the young to "often visit their parents and aid them with whatever they can". But that sounds too vague: what does "often" mean exactly? That's not explicitly specified in the controversial Article 17 of the law. The question about the possible penalties for those who fail to abide by the law, is also not arranged adequately. In the first case related to this law, a court in East China sentenced a married couple to visit the 77 year old grandmother once in two months, and pay her a regular alimony.
The critics of the law interpret it as an expression of the helplessness of the authorities and the shattered family values in the Chinese society. Some bloggers have written that "if even love for your parents is turned into obligation by law now, then society has slid backwards and downhill". Indeed, this is China's great tragedy.
And of course, there are already those who are eager to exploit the many loopholes in the new legislation: http://www.ibtimes.com/chinese-hire-strangers-visit-parents-after-new-law-prohibits-neglect-elderly-1338867
We all know where the road that's paved with good intentions, ultimately leads to.
Strange things are happening in China these days. Since July 1, a new law codifies the relations between parents and children, and makes the care for the elders an obligation. As of now, the Chinese are obliged to visit their aging parents frequently. Even if they are on non-speaking terms, or live thousands of km away.
By tradition, Chinese children are taught early that it is their duty to love and respect their parents. They recite verses in school about the principles of Confucianism. In his writings, Confucius encourages children to respect their elders and preaches that this respect is a fundamental element of moral behaviour, and a brick in the structure of any well-functioning society. And he goes further: it's not enough to just ensure the physical survival of the aging parents; "After all, don't we feed dogs out of mercy?", the ancient philosopher remarks.
The truly noble person, Confucius argues, ought to be looking after their parents both while they are among the living and after their passing. He or she must arrange a dignified funeral and pay them the tribute they deserve. So here we are, 2500 years later, where the PRC has turned this moral imperative into a legal obligation, and failing to comply would lead to penalties.
The new law has already taken its first "victims": http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/07/02/chinas-new-filial-piety-law-draws-first-blood/
If we are to go a bit deeper, the real reason for this law is in the huge social and demographic changes in China. There was a time when it was customary for several generations to share the same roof. But now with the rapid economic development in the last three decades, the family ties have been torn apart. Looking for better jobs and a better life, and better payment, millions of Chinese are leaving the family nest, and flocking from the rural areas to the fast-developing coastal regions and the capital Beijing. Some would later take their parents with them as well - hoping to be able to rely on them to look after their children for free. As cynical as it sounds, it's a symbiotic relationship between the generations, and the institution of the grandmother plays a crucial role in the Chinese society.
But many of the young Chinese who have moved to the urban regions, tend to cut all relations with their parents. Because of this, China is only now beginning to set up systems of social aid, and for millions of elderly people this can mean just one thing: continuous misery and solitude. The one-child policy has additionally deepened these alarming tendencies. At present, most Chinese families correspond to the "4-2-1" formula, i.e. one grandchild has to sustain two parents and four grandparents.
The Chinese society is aging fast, and this complicates the task of taking care of the elderly even more. Nearly 70 million Chinese aged 60+ now live in the so called "empty nests". The new law practically compels their children to look after them. It obliges the young to "often visit their parents and aid them with whatever they can". But that sounds too vague: what does "often" mean exactly? That's not explicitly specified in the controversial Article 17 of the law. The question about the possible penalties for those who fail to abide by the law, is also not arranged adequately. In the first case related to this law, a court in East China sentenced a married couple to visit the 77 year old grandmother once in two months, and pay her a regular alimony.
The critics of the law interpret it as an expression of the helplessness of the authorities and the shattered family values in the Chinese society. Some bloggers have written that "if even love for your parents is turned into obligation by law now, then society has slid backwards and downhill". Indeed, this is China's great tragedy.
And of course, there are already those who are eager to exploit the many loopholes in the new legislation: http://www.ibtimes.com/chinese-hire-strangers-visit-parents-after-new-law-prohibits-neglect-elderly-1338867
We all know where the road that's paved with good intentions, ultimately leads to.
