In traditional Chinese society, a persons most important relationship was that between a parent and a child. The only measure of whether a child was good or bad was whether or not they were obedient to their parents wishes. Traditionally a Chinese family had many children. Boys were expected to go to school and, after they grew up, to have a son of their own, and to manage the familys affairs. When his parents grew old, a son was expected to live with and care for them. A girls parents would usually arrange her marriage to someone who she did not love and without consulting her. After she was married, she was no longer a part of her biological family; instead she became an adopted daughter of her husbands family and had to respect her husbands parents as she would her own parents. She was also expected to bear her husband a son. A child who broke these norms, defied or disrespected their parents was seen as worthless or immoral at best, and could legally be killed by their parents in extreme cases. Today of course, China is very different. Chinese children are still expected to respect their parents, but society is not as conservative as it used to be. When a Chinese son gets married, he will often prefer not to live in the same house with his parents, although he might still feel quite obligated to care for them in their old age. The greatest strides have been made by Chinese women, who now hope that their daughters grow up to marry someone that they love, and who is able to take good care of them. The major revolution in the Chinese family since 1980s has been the introduction of the one-child policy. Since Chinese families are now usually only allowed to have one child, the roles of parent and child have almost been reversed! Todays children in China, while still expected to treat their parents with respect, have become the little emperors and empresses of their families. Many little emperors are so doted on by their immediate and extended families that they become very spoiled, demanding toys, candy, and attention all day long. Because of the changing structure of the Chinese family, the bonds between parent and child, while still of primary importance, are characterized less by rules and respect and more by love.
在传统的中国社会中，一个人最重要的关系就是父母和孩子之间的关系。衡量一个孩子是否好是坏的唯一标准是他们是否服从父母的意愿。传统上，一个中国家庭有许多孩子。孩子们被期望上学，长大后，有一个儿子，并管理家庭的事务。当他的父母变老了，一个儿子被期望生活和照顾他们。一个女孩的父母通常会把她和她不爱的人结婚，而不与她商量。婚后，她不再是她亲生家庭的一部分，而是成为了一个被收养的女儿的丈夫，不得不尊重丈夫的父母，她将自己的父母。她还期待着她丈夫一个儿子。一个孩子打破了这些规范，蔑视或不尊重他们的父母被视为无用的或不道德的在最好的情况下，可以合法地在极端的情况下，被父母。当然，今天的中国是非常不同的。中国的孩子们仍然要尊重他们的父母，但社会并不像过去那样保守。当一个中国儿子结婚时，他通常会不愿意和父母住在同一所房子里，尽管他可能仍然觉得很有义务照顾他们的晚年。中国妇女已经取得了最大的进步，现在他们希望自己的女儿能和自己喜欢的人结婚，并能照顾他们。自从20世纪80年代以来，中国家庭发生了一场重大的革命，这是独生子女政策的出台。由于中国家庭现在通常只允许有一个孩子，父母和孩子的角色几乎被逆转！在中国今天的孩子，虽然仍被要求尊敬父母，已经成为小皇帝和皇后的家庭。许多小皇帝都被他们直接和家庭，他们很溺爱，要求玩具，糖果，和关注一整天。由于中国家庭结构的变化，父母与子女之间的关系，虽然仍然是首要的，但其特点是不受规则、尊重和爱。