ABSTRACT
Propaganda in favour of one-child families has not succeeded in changing the basic contradiction between numbers and sex of children desired in private life and in state policies. At least in the rural areas of China, with the vast majority of the population, a massive conflict between state and family interest persists. Whereas in most parts of the world this antagonism would erupt in violent clashes, in China it mostly leads to passive resistance and cunning strategies of non-compliance. Many birth-planning norms and a host of circulars from the Birth-Planning Commission, various ministries and the Supreme Court contain a list of contextual acts punishable under criminal or administrative law. It may be surmised that they are sufficiently widespread to justify their specific inclusion in the regulations. Indicating that opposition against the one-child policy remains a major problem, recent regulations show a tendency to enlarge this list. 1 In this sense, Chinese administrative documents also hint at the kind of non-conformist behaviour met in social life. Further information is provided by case reports in the Chinese press that illustrate the conduct penalized in the regulations. 2 Finally, statistical data on births outside plan provide a chance to gauge the overall extent of non-compliance.
