Visit Your Parents ... or Else, Chinese Government Warns

[kidd]

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/06/vi...ernment-warns/

Visit Your Parents ... or Else, Chinese Government Warns

It's the most common complaint grown-up children hear from their parents: "You never call, you never visit." But neglected moms and pops in China might soon be able to force their kids to pay them more attention with a little help from the law.

Under a draft amendment to existing legislation on old people's rights, elderly parents will be able to take their sons or daughters to court if they fail to look after their mental and physical well-being, the state-run Global Times reports. Wu Ming, an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the updated bill would also require children to regularly pop home and see their folks.

Seniors in China, like this person who is resting at the Huangzhu Village of Jinjiang Township on Dec. 4, may soon be able to take their children to court if they fail to look after their mental and physical well-being.

The new law underlines the massive social change China has experienced in recent years. For centuries, it was expected that children would feed, house and care for their aged parents. "Back when China was a rural, agrarian society, you would often have four generations living under one roof," professor Shujie Yao, head of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at England's Nottingham University, told AOL News. "It is a central part of the philosophy of Confucius that the young look up to the old and the old respect the young."

However, that system depended on parents having large families, so there'd always be a child around to look after Ma and Pa, even if the siblings left the nest. But thanks to China's one-child policy, most parents are now dependent on a single son or daughter. Many of those only children are forced to leave the seniors behind when they head off to the booming cities in search of work.

At least half of China's 160 million over-60s now live alone, according to the People's Daily. And those lonely seniors are more likely to suffer from depression and health problems than oldsters living with relatives.

Yao says that "the vast majority" of Chinese still want to look after their parents and grandparents -- migrant workers often send a large chunk of the wages home -- and that only a small minority "are not as caring as society expects." He supports the amended law as a means to force neglectful children to live up to their responsibilities.

But more importantly, Yao argues that the legislation will help preserve China's ancient system of elderly care, which could easily be lost in the tumultuous push for modernization.

However, many young Chinese say the new law will be impossible to enforce. Some complained on online message boards that it was almost impossible to return home on public holidays, as the train network couldn't cope with the millions of migrants eager to travel back to their families. Another noted that the demands of work meant they had little free time for themselves, let alone Mom and Dad.

"No one is reluctant to return home to visit parents," the Web user said, according to the Global Times. "But I often have to work at weekends, even during the official holidays."

[Guo Xiang]

Eh... really? I find this sad.

Especially more sad as it seems they are only concerned with solving the symptom of a bigger problem while ignoring the causes of it.

Btw, is China taking a leaf from Singapore on this filial piety aspect?

[ByTmE]

I'll be frank: When I lived across the world from my parents, I was reluctant to visit them too. However, my parents weren't really keen on having me visit them either! This was because they were both so busy and couldn't make time for me in their schedules. However, my uncle and aunt [whom I lived 15 minutes away from] took great offense when I never visited them. I worked during the weekday on 12 hour shifts and volunteered on the weekends. They were still mad at me. I, like the Chinese young ppl, were neglecting our elders. I would be very resentful if I was forced to observe "visiting laws" if my company or the Ministry of Whatever didn't force the companies and organizations to make the same allowances in their work schedules. They are not holding those employers accountable at all! I feel that this is unfair to the young work force.

[mind_wander]

In the US,this isn't a law like this instead the parents mentality is more like I can't wait they move out and get married off so they can find their own path.But you can visit from time to time without going to court

[Lucre]

the govt is just trying to run away from dealing with the problem, so it's easier to bully the citizens into strange policies.

after all it isn't always due to lack of piety when not visiting...some of them work really hard, saved up and sent $$$ but couldn't get away from their work, which tends to be like miles away from their hometown.