The Circle of Life

生生不息

Like most local young women, Xiaohua met Chunling, a young man from another village, through a matchmaker and chose a good day to get married. After marriage, they live with Chunling's parents. The young couple fall in love with each other and give birth to a baby boy. According to the requirements of the national family planning policy, first-born males in rural areas cannot have further children. But farmers have their own ideas. A family should not have only boys, but also girls. If there are no boys, they will do everything possible to have boys to continue the family line. Therefore, the township government sends a family planning team. At the risk of being fined, Xiao Hua becomes pregnant again. When she’s in labor, Chunling finds a midwife. They successfully give birth to a baby girl. To avoid being arrested, Chunling takes initiative to pay a 3,000 fine. The couple leave their children with family and go to work in Beijing. (Shot from 1996-2007)