After China’s One Child policy, the Chinese population count has fallen sharply. This was actually the intention behind the policy. But this policy has also led to imbalance between the old and young population of the nation. The older generation accounts for a greater fraction and you are not that much in numbers. So the country has come up with a very innovative plan.

According to reports, nine universities in China have devised a novel scheme and are giving their students a week “to fall in love” to stop the country’s declining birth rate.

On March 21, one of the nine colleges, Mianyang Flying Vocational College, made the initial announcement of its Spring Break, which has a particular emphasis on romance. Students are urged to “learn to appreciate nature, love life, and enjoy love via enjoying the spring break” from April 1 to April 7.

Liang Guohui, deputy dean of Mianyang Flying Vocational College, said, “I hope that students can go to see the green water and green mountains and feel the breath of spring. This will not only broaden students’ horizons and cultivate their sentiments but also enrich and deepen the teaching content in the classroom.”

Students are also given homework, like writing diaries, recording personal growth, and filming videos of their travels.

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The one-child policy came back as a boomerang

While this is an effort to boost their declining birth rate, experts say the best they can do is slow the population’s decline. The Chinese government has asked to come up with more than 20 recommendations to boost birth rates.

Due to the one-child policy which was imposed between 1980 and 2015, China dug itself a big demographic hole. China’s birth rate last year fell to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, from 7.52 births in 2021, the lowest on record.

Chinese couples refraining from having babies

China increased the limitation to three in 2021, yet even throughout the COVID stay-at-home period, couples resisted having children. It is no longer necessary for women to be legally wed to register their children.

High costs for childcare and education, meager wages, a weak social safety net, and gender disparities are cited by young people as deterrents.

The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), according to media reports, even proposed ideas like having the government pay for maternity leave rather than the employer, which would help lessen discrimination against women while removing a barrier to fathers taking on more parental responsibilities.

This month, CPPCC also made further proposals, including providing financial aid to families raising their first kid as opposed to simply the.