Throughout history, China has always been known for its great strength in its number of people. However, in the past 20 or so years, China has been fervently trying to reverse this characteristic. The "one-child policy" that was made known to the country's people in 1973 has been morphing continuously for the past quarter century, attempting to try to control the ever-growing population of the country. This one child policy that the government of China has imposed over the past couple of decades is a plan consisting of a short term vision that is not only inhumane but will ultimately lead to more problems rather than solutions in the future for China. In order to clearly see these problematic facets, one must first examine the history of China and its birth control policies from the time at which it became a significant issue right up until the present, while also predicting what the future might entail. Recently, a new law was imposed that affects this policy greatly, but it cannot be scrutinized until first examining the history behind it. .
For hundreds upon hundreds of years, the country of China has dominated other countries largely due in part to its vast population. For instance, the 1982 Census in China reported the total population at 1,008 million people on the mainland, an astonishing 20 times the population in the year 1650, extremely more than a steady increase throughout the 332 years (Mahadevan, 54). This rapid increase could not be overlooked because the problem is a concern for an entire civilization and culture. In fact, many attempts were made throughout the 1900's for reformed "family planning", which aimed at decreasing the average household size through only planned births. Mao Zedong, the Communist reformer of the state of China, the "people's" leader, first expressed his thoughts and concerns on population in 1949;.
"Even if China's population multiplies many times, she is fully capable of finding a solution, the solution is production.
