One Three Is Best: How China’s Family Planning Propaganda Has ChangedFor decades, China harshly restricted the number of children couples could have, arguing that everyone would be better off with fewer mouths to feed. The government’s one-child policy was woven into the fabric of everyday life, through slogans on street banners and in popular culture and public art. Between 1980 and 2015, the year the one-child policy officially ended, the Chinese government used extensive propaganda to warn that having more babies would hinder China’s modernization. Then Now One child is best, the government aids in elder care. The pivot has prompted local officials to remove visible remnants of the one-child policy.

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Persons: “, It’s, Critics, Marie Mathelin, Roger Viollet, Xilingjing Xiang Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, China Central Television, Getty Images Locations: Wuhan, China, People’s Republic of China, Bengbu, Anhui, Shanxi Province, Xilingjing