ABSTRACT
A close relationship between adult children and their parents is one of the prominent features of Chinese families. Although some theories of contemporary families hold that family ties are not as close as before, the nature of intergenerational support and cooperation has not changed from that of traditional society, despite China making great achievements on its way to modernity. There is still intensive interaction between adult children and their parents in terms of caring for each other on a daily basis, as well as providing mutual material and psychological support (Whyte, 2001; Zimmer & Kwong, 2003; Yang & Li, 2009). The rate of married children living with their parents has, indeed, decreased, but it does not affect intergenerational family connections (Xie, 2009). Network family is a more accurate term than nuclear family for modern Chinese family relationships, in the sense that children may live separately from their parents but the pattern of provision for and inheritance from the elders remains the same (Wang, 2009, 2010). This chapter is an effort to introduce the trend of Chinese attitudes towards intergenerational support, intergenerational behavioural patterns, and satisfaction levels in today’s China, as well as to identify how Chinese families face pressure from social transformation. The analysis is based on the research results of several large-scale surveys implemented in the twenty-first century.
