Amid the analysis that China’s low birth rate problem has already reached a more severe level than Korea, “doll-parenting” is spreading into a new youth culture, drawing attention.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong media outlet, introduced the phenomenon of doll-raising culture among Generation Z in China. “Young women in China are raising cotton dolls like their own children,” the media said. “It is a new trend to raise children without pain.” Child-raising is more than just a hobby of collecting dolls or playing with dolls. Young people who “raise dolls” often make reservations at expensive restaurants to celebrate their dolls’ birthday and buy expensive clothes made of cloth. Some go on vacation with dolls.
According to the SCMP, childrearing in China started in 2023 with a social networking service post. A woman stopped by Haidilao (a hot pot restaurant in China) with a doll and asked for a baby chair to sit on, but the request was rejected. “Heidirao is usually known for its top-notch service, but he refused to fill my doll with water or sing Happy Birthday,” the woman said. “Are you rejecting cotton doll lovers?”
The article sparked a fierce online controversy. Since then, the number of doll lovers carrying cotton dolls has increased rapidly in China, and recently they are called “pregnant mothers.” The doll mother calls the time it takes for the doll to arrive a “pregnant” and dresses, makeup, changes her hairstyle to a wig, or goes on an outing together.
Dolls that are popular among mothers are said to be around 40 to 100 yuan. However, most of the cost comes from ornaments, not from the body of the doll. It is known that the cost for clothes, shoes, wigs, and accessories easily exceeds hundreds of thousands of won. According to SCMP, the doll market in China has already exceeded $1.4 billion in 2023, with an annual average growth rate of 11 percent from 2016 to 2023.
Meanwhile, China’s low birth rate problem has already reached a serious level, according to the survey. China’s prominent demographer Liang Zhongtang told Taiwan’s “Central News Agency” on Monday that the country’s total fertility rate has already dropped to around 0.7 by 2024, which is lower than that of Japan (1.15) or Korea (0.75). According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s total population last year fell by 3.39 million to 1.4489 billion. The largest decline since 2022.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
