Mei’s presentation at Sidwell Friends School:
Since its inception 35 years ago, China’s “one child” policy has borne dramatic consequences for the country’s demographics, economy, and culture, said the 34th Annual John Fisher Zeidman ’79 Memorial Lecturer, Mei Fong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
The restrictions on family size originally were contrived so that the country’s resources would stretch among its many people. Enforcement efforts included ruinous fines and compulsory abortions and sterilizations.
Mei’s analysis of China’s “failed attempt at social engineering” lies at the heart of her book, One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment.
