In the first article, the obvious focal point would be the traditional collective family unit and Confucian value of filial piety. Many of the rural workers give their reasons for migration on the need to earn more money in order to support their families. In the case of a former farmer, Wang Jie, he left the countryside for a job loading trucks in a state company (which he acquired through help from his soldier brother, also bringing into light the importance of "Guan xi" in Chinese society.) earning 150 RMB a month . Through his hard work and wise career decisions, he earned a promotion and secured a 2000 RMB a month job selling the products of the factory to wholesalers. Financially secure, he has been able to build houses, purchase luxury goods and even send back supplementary income for his father, wife and daughter who remain in the village. His wife has even convinced him to stay in Beijing for "as long as it takes" to save money for their daughters university education. Through this case, we can see clearly how the traditional ties and obligation to the family have not changed ev

Through the study of these two articles, we can see how traditional Chinese values have endured the test of time and how ingrained they are within the culture of the Chinese people. Despite the introduction (or contamination) of Western ideas and culture into the society, the basic family unit and preferences have changed little from the 1940s to now. The most apparent example on how deeply etched these cultural values are in the Chinese people, one only has to examine the people of Hong Kong and Singapore to see how these traditions flourish in completely different environments and societies.

This is a basic reflection of the attitude towards the gender of the children, and a throwback to Confucian precepts of how a son will support his parents in their old age. In the case of females, once married they are of no value, as she does not provide for her parents in the way a son would. The traditional desire to preserve the family line is unchanged through this time, and once again places more in favour of a male child, as only they are able to carry on the family name, while a daughter would adopt the name of her husbands line.

Although Wang admits that being away from his family is a sacrifice, he says it is worth it. This is an example of how "familism" has carried on to this day, in which the common good of the family is paramount and overrides individual well being.

With the enactment of the one-child policy, many peasants were horrified of the prospect of having no sons, but with the introduction of ultrasound and safer a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Officials Quanyang, Wang Jie, Nu Wa, Chinese Society, Kong Singapore, chinese society, change chinese society, family unit, change chinese, unborn child, chinese people, rmb month, migrant workers, unofficial taxes, male child, money home,
Approximate Word count = 1038
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)