Implications of China's Open-Door Policy for Families

Abstract

China's open-door policy (ODP) was created in 1978 as a response to the severe economic depression affecting the country after the Cultural Revolution. The policy was designed to restore China's financial status and lift the nation out of destitution. By all accounts, the ODP has been successful in improving the country's monetary condition. However, the impacts to family structures and values caused by the sudden and massive industrialization of cities and towns are less well known. This article explores the unexpected changes to family life since the inception of the ODP and conducts a preliminary family impact analysis on how these alterations could be related to the ODP.