[Read more news]◆Conceptual changes and declining birthrate ◆Competition for higher education and work, the baby boom is no longer what it used to be

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Report＼Lin Zhenzhu

Chinese people only love “dragon sons and dragon girls”, and many Chinese families hope to have a “dragon baby” in the Year of the Dragon. According to statistics, every year of the Dragon, there will be a small peak in the number of Chinese-born babies in my country. For example, in the Year of the Dragon in 2012, the number of Chinese-born babies in my country rebounded significantly, increasing by nearly 11% from the previous year.

This year is the Year of the Dragon, and Chinese politicians have recently been encouraging Chinese couples to have more dragon babies in the Year of the Dragon to contribute to the Chinese population. However, now families tend to have fewer children, and the previous concept of giving birth to dragon babies in the Year of the Dragon has faded away. There may be more Chinese newborns this year than in other zodiac years, but I believe there will not be the “grand occasion” of having children as before.

Modern couples value parenting quality

I won’t deliberately chase baby dragons

Zhou Yongfu, chairman of the Penang branch of the National Association of Chinese Primary School Principals, said that in the past, children born under the Chinese zodiac sign were indeed more numerous than those born under other zodiac signs, but people’s thinking has changed. Nowadays, people not only have fewer children, but they are not as deliberate as before. Chasing the baby dragon.

Principal Zhou joined the education field in the 1990s and has served in Xingtan for 34 years. He has taught in 7 Chinese primary schools. He said that in modern times, when children with the dragon sign reach school age, even if the number of freshmen in each school is more than that of other zodiac signs, there will no longer be a significant gap.

There are very few families with 3 children

“In the early years, many couples loved having dragon babies. However, today’s birthrate is declining. Modern Chinese have fewer children and pay attention to quality. They usually have one or two children. It is rare to have more than 3 children. Moreover, many people nowadays also believe that dragons are born. There will be more babies in the next year, and the competition for education will be greater in the future, so I won’t go out of my way to pursue dragon babies.”

He pointed out that from 2000 to the present, the number of new students in Chinese primary schools has gradually decreased. In the 2000s, the number of new students in Chinese primary schools in Penang could still be maintained at about 10,000 per year, but then it gradually dropped to more than 8,000, and now there are only more than 7,000. It has decreased by 20% in the past 24 years.

He, who is in charge of Mingxin Primary School, also mentioned that the school has three classes for the first grade every year, with about 35 to 37 students in each class. This is true for each grade, even when Xiao Long’s children enter school, because this is already the first year of school. At the limit, no amount of students can be accepted.

“Every year, some students are not admitted because the quota is full, and this does not only happen in the Year of the Dragon.”

He said that since the school only has three classes in each grade and there are certain quotas, the number of students entering primary school has not changed much in recent years regardless of their zodiac sign.

Zhou Yongfu personally experienced the plight of Long Er

Zhou Yongfu himself is also a dragon. He is about to retire at the age of 60 this year. When he shared his own experience, he said that people in the old days liked baby dragons, so there were really many baby dragons in his time. Therefore, studying, especially going to college, faced many challenges. The competition is even greater.

“When I was in elementary school, I went to a non-prestigious school. There were more than 50 freshmen in the first year of my year, while other grades only had more than 40 students at most. It can be seen that there are more students with the dragon sign than other zodiac signs. You can also imagine that if every school If there are more students in Xiaolong, the number of students that year will be large.”

He said that everyone has the opportunity to study in primary and secondary education, but it is different when you come to university. Especially in those days, there were not many universities and the number of degrees was limited, so the competition was very high.

For example, he said that with the scores he obtained, he might have had the opportunity to enter university in other years, but due to the large number of applicants and high competition that year, he lost this opportunity.

“I originally wanted to study engineering, but because I couldn’t apply for university, I happened to be a temporary teacher and discovered that I loved teaching. After that, I entered teacher training. Although I couldn’t become an engineer, it would be good to become a human soul engineer.”

In order to fulfill his dream of not being able to enter university and improve himself, President Zhou cooperated with the government authorities in 2017 to encourage faculty members to enroll in relevant university departments and complete a university degree.

There are outstanding people in any zodiac sign

One of the reasons why parents in the old days loved Dragon babies was because they thought children born under the Dragon zodiac sign were extremely intelligent. Zhou Yongfu said that children born under any zodiac sign would have outstanding and smart students.

He said that although he had read similar survey reports, he could comment on why Xiao Long’s children were so smart from all aspects, including being more cared for by their parents and receiving intensive cultivation.

“But that’s not entirely true. My parents didn’t give birth to me because they wanted to have a baby dragon. I am the eldest of five brothers and sisters in my family. Our family is not very well off. As the eldest, I have to help the family and take care of my younger siblings since I was a child. , and because of this I am more sensible and know the importance of studying, to love myself and study hard, and to be a good example.”

He said that his parents love all five brothers and sisters and do not show any preference. He did not receive special love or cultivation from his parents because he is Xiao Long.

“On the contrary, because I am a child of Xiao Long, I face a lot of competition in my studies, so my family is not obsessed with having dragon babies. I also instill this in my children.”

Chung Ling Du Middle School has reached its quota year

Will not change for Xiao Long’s new life

Wu Weicheng, the principal of Zhongling Independent Middle School, pointed out that in recent years, the school has been full of admissions for the new school year. For this reason, no special preparations or changes will be made for the arrival of the 2025 entrance year for Xiaolong Middle School 1st students.

He said that in the new school year in March this year, the school has opened an additional class of Form 1. Currently, it has 9 classes and has admitted 360 new students, which is the maximum limit.

He pointed out that he understood that Chinese people like to have dragon babies, so if it coincides with the school year for Xiaolong’s children, there will be more new students that year.

“More than 20 years ago, during the freshman year of Xiaolong, the school did not need to worry about enrollment, because there would be no problem with enrollment that year, and the number of freshmen admitted would increase by 20 to 30%.”

He said that with the changing times and the declining birthrate, the number of students in Chinese primary schools has been declining year by year over the years. Even Xiaolong’s freshman year can only “stop the decline” in the number of students, rather than causing an explosion.

“As far as I know, in some areas, the number of Primary 6 students in Chinese primary schools this year is not much greater than that of other students. Therefore, the situation of Xiaolong Form 1 freshmen who apply for admission next year may be similar to that of freshmen in other years.”

He said that if there is an increase, I believe it will not be like the situation more than 20 years ago. Of course, the more freshmen who apply for admission, the greater the competition. In other words, the competition faced by freshmen will be greater than that of freshmen in other years.

I don’t rule out my love for baby dragons

Confinement center booking rate increases

Zhou Jingchun, the founder of Xilinge Confinement Center, pointed out that the booking rate received by the center this year is faster and higher than in previous years. It has already received reservations from expectant mothers with due dates in September and October.

He said that compared with the same period last year, it was only at this time last year that we began to receive reservations from expectant mothers with due dates in June and July. However, the reservations for September this year are almost full, and expectant mothers in October have also begun to inquire and even place orders. Booked.

“Not only that, the monthly booking rate this year is also higher than in previous years. Last year, the monthly average was 60%, but this year it has reached 80% every month, and it is even fully booked. This is not only the case in Xilinge, but also in other confinement centers. Such a situation.”

He does not rule out the Chinese people’s love for baby dragons, so when the Year of the Dragon arrives, more people will give birth to babies. However, generally, confinement centers will not add beds to cope with the “peak” period of childbirth in a certain year, so it is understandable. Expectant parents choose to book confinement centers early.

He pointed out that Xi Linge opened in 2021 and has not experienced the previous Year of the Dragon, so specific comparisons cannot be made. However, it has been almost three years since they opened and their business this year is better than in previous years.

However, he also said that modern people’s thinking is different from that of the older generation. Most modern couples are not too particular about having dragon babies, but just want their children to be healthy. Therefore, even with the Year of the Dragon effect, there will not be as many births as in the past. .

“But it is true that the industry of confinement centers, nannies, confinement nannies, and cooks has been in high demand in the market in recent years. Taking into account the overall market demand, I expanded my business to other states last year and opened a branch in Ipoh. This year If we seize the good opportunity in the Year of the Dragon, we will open another branch in Sitiawan.”

He said that the baby dragon effect is only one of the factors. After all, after the Year of the Dragon, confinement centers will continue to operate, so they cannot “rely on” the baby dragon, but must rely on providing high-quality and good services to gain customers’ trust and let them The business will last forever.

It is also effective in the Lion City of Taiwan and Hong Kong

The Year of the Dragon effect is not only seen in Malaysia. Chinese people in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other regions also have the phenomenon of having children in the Year of the Dragon.

In the last Year of the Dragon, 2012, China experienced a baby boom. That year, China’s birth rate reached 14.57%, with 19.73 million births throughout the year, the highest in this century, even exceeding the years when the birth of two or even three children was fully liberalized. Now that we are entering the Year of the Dragon, there is an increased chance that China’s birth population will rebound.

Singapore is also facing a low fertility rate. Since the 1970s, the fertility rate in every Year of the Dragon has been higher than in the past few years. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong deliberately “promoted births” in his speech during the Lunar New Year, calling on young Singaporean couples to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. Have more children and add a dragon baby.

Singapore’s obstetrics and gynecology industry is also currently preparing for a new wave of childbirth. The business of many hospitals and related service institutions is expected to increase by 5 to 20%, and some confinement service agencies predict that the demand for nannies will increase by 30 to 40%.

Chinese-born population rebounded in 2012

In Malaysia, according to the demographic statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Chinese births in China has been on a downward trend for most of the period from 2001 to 2022. However, in 2012, the total number of Chinese births rebounded significantly in the Year of the Dragon, from 76,642 in 2011. The number of people rose to 85,419 in 2012, an increase of nearly 11%. The following year, it fell back to 69,561 in 2013.

Many political leaders in the country, such as MCA President Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, DAP National Chairman Lim Guan Eng, and PKR Bayan Baru MP Sim Chee Chin, therefore continue to encourage Chinese couples to have more dragon babies in the Year of the Dragon.

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