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Daughter shares mom’s diary entry, claims it shows her plight under China’s one child policy

A daughter took to Twitter to share images of the pages of a diary which she claimed are written by her mother on China's one child policy.

Published on: Apr 1, 2023, 11:11:53 IST
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China’s one-child policy that was started in 1980 to control the country's population growth restricted most couples to only a single offspring. Though scrapped in 2016, the program left many families devastated. One such story was recently shared by Twitter user and teacher Chenchen Zhang. Taking to the microblogging site she shared pictures of her mom’s diary entries who had to take the heartbreaking decision to part with her second child to avoid the punishment of violating the policy.

The image is taken from the Twitter entry of the daughter about her mom's diary entry on China's one child policy. (Twitter/@chenchenzh)
The image is taken from the Twitter entry of the daughter about her mom's diary entry on China's one child policy. (Twitter/@chenchenzh)

“This diary entry was written by my mom, 34 years ago, on the day when she sent her 2-month-old daughter (my sister) away to my grandma's bc of one child policy. I never fully understood the scale of heartbreak until I became a mom myself. I will never not cry reading it,” Zhang shared. In the next tweet she added, “She wrote she breastfed her ‘one more time - the last time in her life’ before they departed. I (then one year and a half) sensed the atmosphere and cried together with her. My sister did come back to us when she was around 5 or 6 yo. But I know this hurts forever.”

“The second page is stained with tears from 30+ yrs ago. My family is just one among many (millions of) other, and worse, heartbreaking stories. If there will be (I hope) a museum to commemorate the traumas of OCP, that's where my mom's diary could be kept,” she added. Alongside, she shared pictures from the diary where her mom documented her plight.

Take a look at the posts:

Since being shared, her post attracted the attention of many and accumulated several sympathetic comments. Just like this Twitter user who posted, “So sorry about the pain your family and many others went through.” Another person added, “As a mom now too I can’t imagine the anguish. What a sacrifice your mother and sister had to make. Gosh.” A third commented, “God this is brutal.” A fourth wrote, “OMG!”

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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