China imposes stricter regulations on abortions as the country faces a gender imbalance crisis. (Photo : Reuters)
Despite having 11 children, a couple who lives in Santai village of Sichuan Province were not fined for violation of the family planning code. This is despite the fact that aside from their youngest child who was adopted by relatives upon childbirth, all of their children were duly registered in the household registration system.
He Hong, the father of 11 children, said that his family is very poor and this is the reason why he had so many children. He believes that when his children grew up, they will help lift the family from poverty. So the more children he has, the more chances the family has to rise from poverty.
His wife, Zhang Xingzi, admitted that both of them have no concept of birth control.
The couple are too poor to be fined for breaking the family planning law.
However, this incident did not fare well among the villagers who claim that Hong's brother He Xuen is a party official in their village, and Hong is getting special favors from the government including a monthly subsistence allowance of 880 yuan.
Hong's eldest child has already left the family to seek greener pastures in another province. His second child is already thinking the same.
Hong's children are all malnourished.
Hong's perspective in life is "saving people is more hopeful than saving money." Hong has been keeping this belief for more than 20 years, but now that realities of having a big family have settled in heavily, he now regrets the decisions he had made.
