She met her partner 11 years ago and, like an increasing number of women in China, doesn't plan to get married or have kids. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zou Qiang, a fashion designer and owner of a tailoring brand in Shanghai. Sometimes, parental pressure gets to my partner, and we discuss having kids, but I'd be the one carrying the baby, and I don't want to. I've noticed that after a few of my friends had kids, they often started complaining to me. Despite China's efforts to encourage childbearing — including monetary rewards and subsidies — I come across more and more people who, like me, are not interested in having kids.

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Persons: Zou Qiang, it's, We've, She's, we'll, I'd, I've, Zou, he'd Locations: Shanghai, China, Russia, Kamchatka