Geography, Baby Drop Box: China and South Korea Infanticide, Population Density
By Geography and Math Made Easy
One of the important concepts to teach when teaching about Asia is geared toward China's overpopulation problem that began during the communist reign of Mao Zedong in 1949, During Mao's time in office, he encouraged large families to help on the farmland. Mao believed number equaled power. Following his death in 1979, China faced an extreme overpopulation issue and started working toward controlling the population growth. In doing so, the government put in place the One Child Policy Act, limiting families to one child. This posed a problem as throughout history, the Asian culture celebrated male babies as they carry on the family name. Many babies — often firstborn female infants during Mao's reign —were kept secret, placed on the side of the road to be found, etc. To protect babies from being discarded, baby hatches (often called drop boxes throughout the rest of the world) were put in place where families could safely hand over their babies without placing them in harm's way. These safe havens for babies have existed for centuries. In 2011, China opened what it calls baby hatches — where desperate parents can leave a newborn. A medical team is supposed to pick up the infant within 10 minutes. This lesson is a great study on how government systems can solve their nation's population problems. OBJECTIVE: • Students will understand China’s and Korea’s cultural values and beliefs centered on the dynamic of the family and the importance of men in society. • Students will explore
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