Here’s How China’s One-Child Policy Started in the First Place

3 minute read

With China’s one-child policy ending on Thursday after more than three decades, looking back to when—and why—the strict policy was first implemented shows us how China’s demographics have shifted in critical ways.

In the 1970s, many countries around the world were worried about population growth, but China, with its combination of a particularly large population and a powerful government, took an extreme approach to the problem. The country initially ran a successful birth control campaign under the slogan “Late, Long and Few,” which cut population growth by half between 1970 and 1976. But, as the decade came to an end, that drop leveled off and the nation was still facing food shortages and fear of a repeat of the devastating famine that killed some 30 million people by 1962.

In 1979, the Chinese government introduced a policy requiring couples from China’s ethnic Han majority to limit themselves to one child. The official start of implementation came in 1980, with an open letter issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The letter outlined the population pressure on the country and set out a goal of curbing population growth, bringing the nation’s total below 1.2 billion at the end of the 20th century. As reports from the time noted, the nation’s 38 million Communist Party members were told to use “patient and painstaking persuasion” to teach the rest of the population how important it was to practice family planning.

See the Official Flag Raising for China’s National Day

China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
A paramilitary police officer adjusts another's cap as they and others wait in an underground tunnel before securing the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, early on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
Police officers hold back crowds as they gather at the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
People take pictures as they gather during the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
Paramilitary police officers march following the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
A girl poses in front of a large decorative flower arrangement after the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
A paramilitary police officer guards in an underground tunnel after securing the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
China national Day flag raising Tiananmen Square Beijing
A man touches a flag sticker on his cheek while attending the official flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 66th National Day in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images

To enforce the law, the Chinese government could fine couples for having another child without a permit. The law also incentivized single-child homes by offering longer maternity leave and other benefits to such families. Compliance with the law was seen as a revolutionary good for society; couples who abided by the mandate were awarded a “Certificate of Honor for Single-Child Parents.”

The policy was relaxed slightly in the mid-1980s, with the government allowing second children for some families in rural areas or offering exceptions for households in which both parents were themselves only children.

For a while, the unprecedented policy could be considered a success, at least in terms of population goals. As TIME’s Hannah Beech reported in 2013:

The family-planning program, coupled with market reforms launched around the same time, is credited with catalyzing China’s modern transformation. With fewer bellies to feed, the government turned a hand-to-mouth society into the world’s second largest economy. Although many families, especially those in the countryside, are exempted from the one-child maximum, Chinese women bear, on average, about 1.5 children, compared with about 6 in the late 1960s.

But still, the law has been controversial since its inception, as it contributed to concerns over forced abortions and sterilization, and a gender imbalance resulting from female infanticide.

Now as China faces an aging and shrinking population rather than an exploding one, the government has decided to end the controversial policy.

Read TIME’s take on the one-child policy’s effects from 1987, here in the TIME Vault: Bringing Up Baby, One by One

See China's Epic Parade Commemorating the End of World War II

03 Sep 2015, Beijing, China --- (150903) -- BEIJING, Sept. 3, 2015 (Xinhua) -- A phalanx honoring heroes of the "Pingxingguan Pass Battle" attends a parade in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015. The Pingxingguan Pass Battle was the first victory achieved by Chinese people since the start of the anti-Japanese war, which greatly boosted morale nationwide in the following war of resistance. China on Thursday held commemoration activities, including a grand military parade, to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the --- Image by © Fei Maohua/Xinhua Press/Corbis
A phalanx honoring heroes of the "Pingxingguan Pass Battle" during a grand military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. Fei Maohua—Xinhua Press/Corbis
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: (CHINA OUT) Guards of honor walk past Tiananmen Gate during the 9.3 military parade on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
Guards of honor walk past Tiananmen Gate during the military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: (L-R) South Korean President Park Geun Hye, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former Chinese President Jian Zemin, former Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrive on top of Tiananmen Gate to watch a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by Andy Wong - Pool/Getty Images)
South Korean President Park Geun Hye, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former Chinese President Jian Zemin, former Chinese President Hu Jintao, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stand on top of Tiananmen Gate to watch a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015Andy Wong—Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Chinese president and leader of the Communist Party Xi Jinping rides in an open top car in front of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Chinese president and leader of the Communist Party Xi Jinping rides in an open top car in front of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Members of a Chinese military choir sing near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Members of a Chinese military choir sing near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a toast after delivering a speech during a reception to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. (Lintao Zhang/Pool Photo via AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a toast after delivering a speech during a reception to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.Lintao Zhang—AP
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Military vehicles carrying shore-to-ship missiles drive past the Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by Jason Lee - Pool/Getty Images)
Military vehicles carrying shore-to-ship missiles drive past the Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.Getty Images
epa04910640 Entertainers perform during the gala marking the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 03 September 2015. China is set to hold a military parade on 03 September, as one of the events taking place around the World marking the 70th Anniversary of the WWII Victory over Japan Day which marks the day Japan officially accepted the terms of surrender imposed by the by Allied Forces in the Pacific conflict. EPA/WU HONG
Entertainers perform during the gala marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. Wu Hong—EPA
BEIJING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 03: (CHINA OUT) Military vehicles drive past Tiananmen Gate during the 9.3 military parade on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. China is marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and its role in defeating Japan with a new national holiday and a military parade in Beijing. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
Military vehicles drive past Tiananmen Gate during the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
Chinese army personnel stand during a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II held in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. The spectacle involved more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military hardware and 200 aircraft of various types, representing what military officials say is the Chinese military's most cutting-edge technology. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Chinese army personnel stand during a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015. Ng Han Guan—AP
03 Sep 2015, Beijing, China --- (150903) -- BEIJING, Sept. 3, 2015 (Xinhua) -- Colorful balloons are released during the commemoration activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)(mcg) --- Image by © Meng Yongmin/Xinhua Press/Corbis
Balloons are released during the commemoration activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.Meng Yongmin—Xinhua Press/Corbis
People record trainer jets flying over Tiananmen Square during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, September 3, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
People record trainer jets flying over Tiananmen Square during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, on Sept. 3, 2015.China Daily—Reuters

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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com