Former Head of China’s One-Child Policy Dies, Social Media Obituaries Turn Critical

The death of Peng Peiyun, a former senior official who once headed China’s Family Planning Commission, has triggered a wave of criticism on social media rather than condolences, reopening painful debates around the country’s now-abandoned one-child policy.

Peng, who led the commission from 1988 to 1998, passed away in Beijing on Sunday, just days short of her 96th birthday. Chinese state media described her as “an outstanding leader” who made major contributions to work related to women and children. However, the response on Chinese social platforms told a very different story.

On Weibo, China’s popular microblogging site, users posted sharp and often angry reactions linking Peng’s legacy directly to the long-term human and demographic costs of the one-child policy. Several posts referenced the millions of unborn children affected by the policy, while others criticised the lasting consequences China is now facing due to decades of strict population control.

Introduced nationally around 1980, the one-child policy limited most couples to a single child until it was formally ended in 2015. During its enforcement, local officials were often under intense pressure to meet population targets, leading to forced abortions, sterilisations and other coercive measures, particularly in rural areas.

At the time, Beijing argued that the policy was necessary to prevent runaway population growth. While it did slow population expansion, critics say it also distorted family structures and worsened gender imbalance, as sons were traditionally preferred. This led to the abandonment of infant girls and sex-selective abortions in some regions.

China’s population trajectory has since reversed dramatically. After being overtaken by India as the world’s most populous country in 2023, China’s population fell for the third consecutive year in 2024, dropping to about 1.39 billion. Demographers warn that the decline is likely to accelerate, with fresh data expected next month.

Some social media users argued that the policy had been enforced for too long. “If the one-child policy had been implemented for 10 years less, China’s population would not have plummeted like this,” read one widely shared comment.

By the 2010s, Peng herself had publicly acknowledged the need to relax the policy. In recent years, the Chinese government has shifted course entirely, rolling out incentives such as childcare subsidies, extended maternity leave and tax benefits to encourage couples to have more children.

Despite these measures, concerns remain that China’s shrinking and ageing population will weigh heavily on economic growth. A declining workforce, rising elderly care costs and mounting pension obligations are expected to put additional strain on already debt-burdened local governments.

Peng’s death has thus become a focal point for public frustration, reflecting how deeply the one-child policy continues to shape China’s social memory and its demographic future.