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'I lost my only child…'

(People's Daily Online)

10:20, January 24, 2013

"Three-people family" is very common in China due to the one-child policy. In recent years, some special families have raised more people's concerns.

The only son of 50-year-old Wang Ziyi died in an accident a year ago.
Wang has developed the habit of wearing sunglasses in public places because it makes her feel safe to see the world through sunglasses after her son's death.

The only son of 59-year-old Lianhua Mama was murdered 15 years ago.
I have moved several times after my son's death. Every time other people ask about my children, I lie to them: "My son is living abroad."

The only daughter of 52-year-old Sun Xiuqin living in Hefei, Anhui province died of leukemia three years ago.
Sun's daughter said at the last moment of her life, “Dad, Mom, do not let me go.”

The only son of Mu Zi and her husband, 63 and 64 respectively, died of brain hemorrhage nine years ago.
On the day of her son’s funeral, Mu cooked dishes and told herself, “I must eat to continue my life.”

The only son of Liu Hongfang died in an accident five years ago.
Liu burst into tears when she saw an eight-year-old girl buying a meal for her sick mother.

This is a group of lonely people. They have lost their only child in middle age. Illness and old age have become a heavy burden for them. How they can support themselves is a big question facing Chinese society.

Most people who have lost their only child tend to keep silent about the "secret" and isolate themselves from society. They are more willing to clean their own wound or huddle together for warmth. They yearn for but are also afraid of care. They live in their own world, and try not to socialize.
"We are afraid of aging and illness rather than death," many people who have lost their only child said. Going to hospital is the biggest problem facing them because no one signs related documents or looks after them. They may collapse or fall ill simply because of doctor questioned "Can you do it alone?" Illness will not only derail their life but also remind them of unhappy moments.

Most people who have lost their only child have a low or middle income, and some of them have to live frugally in order to support themselves in old age.

The National Population and Family Planning Commission recently said that China will adhere to and gradually improve the one-child policy, and solve the problems facing certain families with special difficulties. According to the Population and Family Planning Law, local governments should provide necessary assistance to people who have lost their only child.

Financial assistance can solve some problems, but what they really need is spiritual help. Many old people who have lost their only child have called for the establishment of special nursing homes and associations that can arrange for them to travel and spend holidays and festivals together.

Sincerely helping people who have lost their only child is important to social stability, and can test whether a country is civilized or not.

Read the Chinese version: 我们的晚年何处安放. Source: WWW.CYOL.NET

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