Omnibus review: Intergenerational Relations, Filial Obligation and Eldercare in Contemporary ChinaBjörn Alpermann

ASIEN – Nr. 150/151 (2019) pp. 140–44

Fang Cao: Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China
Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. XIX + 199 pp.

Patricia O’Neill: Urban Chinese Daughters: Navigating New Roles, Status and Filial Obligation in a Transitioning Culture
Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. XIII + 338 pp.

Lin Chen: Evolving Eldercare in Contemporary China: Two Generations, One Decision
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. XVII + 213 pp.

As a rapidly ageing society China is facing growing eldercare problems. To address these, the government is, inter alia, promoting the core cultural value of filial piety (xiao). The three recently published books under review in this article examine how filialness has fared under the impact of modernization, increasing mobility, rising educational attainment etc. Fang Cao’s concise book is a classical ethnographic study the author conducted in her native village in Henan Province, northern China. Her focus is on examining the changes in intergenerational relationships and patterns of eldercare in the context of larger social changes such as industrialization and massive rural-to-urban migration. She draws theoretical inspiration from Carol Smart’s personal life approach and David Morgan’s family practices approach, while clearly positioning herself as a critic of the individualization thesis developed by Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens and others, and applied to China most prominently by Yunxiang Yan. In contrast to the latter, she claims to paint a more nuanced picture of changes in intergenerational relations that goes beyond progressive individualization and a concomitant decline in family cohesion and responsibilities. She first gives a historical account of the research setting, Dougou Village. She traces the different generations of dwellings that bear testament to the accelerated economic development of the reform era and lays out social assistance programs that exist in this rural locality. After thus setting the scene, she delves into the discussion on cultural constructions of filialness. At the core of the villagers’ understanding of this concept is material well-being — obedience on the part of the younger generation, in particular the daughters-in-law is, however, no longer necessarily a part of it. This is a clear departure from earlier times, when filialness strictly mandated the superiority of the elderly generation in the social hierarchy. Another notable shift is the increased roles played by daughters in providing material, instrumental and emotional care for their natal parents. This may go as far as housing them. Yet, towards the end of their days elderly parents in Dougou will always be relocated to a son’s house, since dying at a daughter’s place would represent a loss of face. Interestingly, “unfilial behavior” negatively reflects on both children and parents alike as the latter may be blamed for failing to raise their children properly.