1960s
Rural
’63
You were born in a small village.

Your mom likes you a lot. She kept you with her all the time, even when she was working in the field.

Years later, you heard that your grandparents left the room when they saw you were a girl on the day you were born.
“I will never let
them lose you.”
’75
You were helping your mom weaving baskets for selling from the age of 7 to support the family. You were always jealous of your friends who had already been going to school for years. Finally, at the age of 12, you and your siblings went to school together and started in first grade.
“You should take good
care of your younger
siblings at school.”
Your mother said.

After the first day of school, you went to your mom with new textbooks, asking for some leftover cloth to make a book cover.




’81
You enjoyed your school days. However, your family’s financial situation was limited, and your younger siblings also had to go to school.

Because of that, you made a deliberate decision.

After graduating from elementary school, you were 18 years old. Under the introduction of your mother, you started to work in a factory in the town.

Also, there, you met your significant other.
’84
After the wedding, your mom gave
you a sewing machine as a dowry.
Goodbye
you said.

and moved to your husband’s house, living with his family, with the sewing machine.

It took you about an hour to get there. An hour. That will be the distance between you and your family.

5 section

’85
In the first year of your marriage, you got pregnant, living up to your parents’ expectations.

You went to the family planning bureau to apply for the birth ticket.

After filling out some form and answering some questions, you got this paper ticket.
“You should save it for
the visits afterwards.”
said the staff.

6 section

Legend states that the Chinese Birth Chart was buried in a royal tomb near Beijing over 700 years ago. The original is alleged to be at the Institute of Science in Beijing. Rumors have it that this Chinese chart is over 90% accurate when used properly but please remember that this chart is for entertainment purposes only.
If you are using the birth chart to plan a baby of a specific gender, you can base your conception date on a future date and use that date when calculating the Mother's Chinese Age at the time of conception.

The Mother's Age on the birth chart is based on her Chinese Age at time of conception.
Click Here to Calculate Your Chinese Age
The Month of Conception on the Chinese chart needs to be the Chinese Lunar Month.
Click here to calculate the Chinese Lunar Month
As your belly grew larger, your mother-in-law checked the baby’s gender with a traditional method.
“Oh you are
having a         girl /           boy ”

7 section

“Oh you are having
a      girl    / boy           ”
“It’s all good.”
Your mother–in–law said.

She started looking for ways that can turn the girl into a boy.

One day your mother in law gave you a folk prescription that can change the fetus’ gender.

You decide to…
“Oh you are having
a       girl     / boy           ”
The news that you are having a boy spread out quickly. Everyone was happy for you. Your mother–in–law started to get busy: making traditional nutritious soup for you, knitting baby’s clothes, burning incense and praying.
“You should have
more rest. I will do the
cooking from now on”
You mother–in–law said.
Pour it /
Drink it
You lost your baby.

The next day, you had a bellyache.
Then the blood gushed out between your legs.




You lost your baby.
Pour it /
Drink it
You poured the herbal soup into the drainage. “There is still a strong bitter taste in my mouth.” You said, pretending you drank it.

Months later, your daughter was born.
“All the herbal soups
I made for you were wasted.”
Said your mother-in-law.
’89
You went to the hospital to get sterilized.

Have you considered your husband getting sterilization instead of you? “No…
“People all said that a man
after sterilization cannot do
heavy work. I’d rather be that
one who goes to the hospital.”
A few days later, when the family planning staff in your village heard that you had the operation, she came to you with a basket of eggs. “We can also drive you to the hospital instead of you going there by yourself.”
Parts of the family planning personnel’s work was to visit door–to–door to publicize policies, register, provide records, and check marriage and childbirth certifications. The picture shows Kou, Zhenrong 寇振荣 (right), a family planning technical instructor in Changling Township, Jilin Province, explaining family planning knowledge to the family in 1986.
’87
Everyone around you persuaded you to have another child.

And you did.
This time you were scared that you would have a daughter again. You didn’t want to be the lady who were looked down on by the villagers because she couldn’t have a boy. Fortunately, the second child is a boy. After the 2midwife wiped the baby, your mother–in–law held him in her arms, wanting to see her grandson.
“Awwww, my little grandson. He looks the same as his father when he was a kid.”
Photo by Hou, Dengke( 侯登科). 1993. Xingzhe Township, Lintong County.
’89
You went to the hospital to get sterilized.

Have you considered your husband getting sterilization instead of you? “No…
“People all said that a man after sterilization cannot do heavy work. I’d rather be that one who goes to the hospital.”
A few days later, when the family planning staff in your village heard that you had the operation, she came to you with a basket of eggs. “We can also drive you to the hospital instead of you going there by yourself.”
The story ends here but still continues
somewhere in the world.