What It Was Like To Grow Up Without Siblings Under China's 'One-Child' Policy

In 1979, after steady population increase and declining infant mortality rates under Mao Zedong, the ruling Communist Party in China instituted a "one-child" policy on young families in the country. While the legislation allowed for some exceptions, the regulation was quite effective, greatly reducing China's birthrates.

35 years later, as older generations retire, China might not have enough citizens to meet its growing workforce demand. Experts now say the China is in dire need of a baby boom, and the country has been relaxing the policy as of late.

Reuters photographer Carlos Barria was born in 1979, the same year the rules was put in place in China. Though Barria is a native of Argentina, he recently traveled to Shanghai to document the effects of China's "one-child" policy on the children who were born under it. He photographed one person born in each year the policy has been in place, and ask them about their desire for siblings.

"This topic has been photographed for many, many years... I was trying to look for a different way to photograph it," Barria says in a recent Reuters video.

He found differing answers from different generations. Some of his subjects were worried about sharing things like parent's affections or money for college. Others felt lonely and thought it would be beneficial to grow up with a brother or sister.

"It gave me the opportunity to see a whole generation of Chinese, from zero to 35-years-old and see their frustrations and expectations and dreams for the future," Barria says.

(Captions by Carlos Barria and edited by Christian Storm)