The fever of giving birth in the year of the dragon

Considered an auspicious mascot symbolizing success, people in many Asian countries are striving to have children in the Year of the Dragon.

In early February, a famous obstetrician and gynecologist in Taiwan shared an article on his personal page, urging couples who want to have children in the Year of the Dragon not to waste time.

Dr. Chih Chun Chen, director of the Eugene Postpartum Nursing Care Center, also wrote an article advising young couples: "The 'seeding' should be completed by May 15 this year at the latest if you want to have a baby in the Year of the Dragon. To do that, you have to make a lot of effort."

Cici Jiang, 34, from Taiwan, said she was excited to welcome her son in March this year. Jiang said she did not plan to have a baby in the Year of the Dragon, but many of her friends were planning to get pregnant.

“All the others who have used IVF (artificial insemination) to get pregnant, they are all excited to welcome a dragon baby into the family,” the 34-year-old said.

Many young Chinese couples are planning to have children in the Year of the Dragon, hoping that their children will have success and good fortune in the future. Photo: Andy Wong/AP

February 10th marked the beginning of the Year of the Dragon in the Eastern calendar. Of the 12 zodiac animals, the dragon is the only one that is not real, and it has a good meaning, representing strength and prosperity. People born in this year are said to have a good fate and are likely to reap success. This is even more meaningful in 2024, when many countries in Asia are experiencing declining birth rates, causing aging populations and predicting dire economic consequences.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the New Year's Eve ceremony: "Now is the best time for young couples to welcome a little dragon into their family."

Previous dragon years have also seen a surge in births in countries that believe in the animal’s good fortune, such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A midwife working in Taipei, China, said that all of 2012 saw hospital beds filled with patients, with many women forced to give birth in hallways, sharing beds simply because it was the Year of the Dragon.

In Taiwan, 1976 was also a year that welcomed a large number of babies in Taiwan with more than 425,000 births, up from a crude birth rate of more than 390,000 in the 1970s. It was a remarkable reversal despite a declining birth rate.

"Taiwanese people like to have dragon children," said Ihua Wu, who was born in 1976 because dragons are known to be wise and powerful creatures in folklore.

However, in 2017, researchers in Singapore studied the experiences of people born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon and found that they struggled more than other zodiac signs.

"We found that those born in the Year of the Dragon often face weaker educational and economic prospects due to greater competition," said Tan Poh Lin, one of the study's authors and a senior lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy , National University of Singapore.

Similar to Tan Pon Lin, two professors Naci H Mocan and Han Yu of Louisiana State University at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) also speculated that the sudden increase in birth rate will lead to poor outcomes for children.

"As economists, we naturally think that the increase in birth rates will lead to more crowded schools, more teachers to manage, and a negative impact on learning in practice. Not to mention, when these children go to work at the same time, there will be more competition, and even unemployment can happen," said expert Mocan.

However, when they looked closely, the two experts found that children born in the year of the dragon scored higher in grades at higher levels, had higher participation in university entrance exams, and had higher graduation rates. Mocan also found that families with children born in the year of the dragon also invested more time and money in education and health care.

"There is no scientific or biological explanation for why people born in the year of the dragon are more successful. But it can tell you the power of cultural beliefs," the expert said.

Many families in Asia are planning to have children in the Year of the Dragon, hoping that they will be more successful and have a better career than other zodiac animals. Photo: Wu Hao/EPA

William Yang, a reporter in Taiwan, said he felt the social and cultural pressure to succeed was being placed on a child born in the Year of the Dragon, although his family did not entirely believe this.

"I was born in the year of the dragon and I believe I will have a great life because that is my destiny. This thinking has subconsciously influenced the way I pursue everything in life," Yang said.

But not everyone is superstitious. Lu Yuan, an education consultant in Hangzhou, China, is pregnant with her second child, due in 2024. Unlike many people who plan to have a child in the Year of the Dragon, hoping for a bright future for the child, Yuan said she wants to have a second child when her family has enough money. She insists she wants to have a child because it suits her circumstances, without considering the influence of the 12 zodiac animals.

Zhai Zhenzu, president of the China Population Association and now a professor at Renmin University of China, also expects a surge in births in 2024 due to the belief in the old concept. Social media discussions in the country have also recorded a clear increase in the number of people sharing their pregnancy plans. Many state statistics have also recorded a rise in sales of pregnancy-related products, starting from the end of 2023.

Not only China, Eugene Postpartum Nursing Care Center in Taiwan also said that bookings at reproductive health clinics in late 2023 and early 2024 also increased compared to last year.

Minh Phuong (According to The Guardian, Aljazeera )

Source: https://vnexpress.net/con-sot-sinh-con-nam-rong-4711165.html