Yang Juhua
Social Sciences in Guangdong. 2026, 0(3): 190-204.
The combined effects of economic transition, social transformation, cultural changes, and digital technological progress have brought about an unprecedented transformation in the concept and behavior of marriage and childbearing from the agricultural society, which had persisted for thousands of years. Starting from the historical and cultural logic of “the mutual construction of family and nation,” and drawing on the early experience of the 1999 “New Marriage and Childbearing norms Entering Thousands of Households” campaign, this paper discusses the promotion strategies for a new-type marriage and childbearing culture in the new era. The social governance logic of “the mutual construction of family and nation” constitutes the theoretical basis for promoting a positive marriage and childbearing culture; the “New Marriage and Childbearing norms Entering Thousands of Households” publicity campaign launched 26 years ago has provided valuable practical experience for the promotion of the new-type marriage and childbearing culture in the new era. The promotion of the new-type marriage and childbearing culture should focus on fostering a positive view of marriage, childbearing and the family, advocating the value concept of “building healthy families through national support, while supporting the nation with numerous healthy families,” and creating a social context that respects marriage and values childbearing. It is also necessary to leverage the technological dividends of the digital and intelligent era, combine normalized promotion with concentrated advocacy and participatory reproductive health support, and build a daily space that is life-friendly, a cultural space that is value-friendly, an institutional space that is policy-friendly, and a social space that is service-friendly. This thus addresses people’s livelihood issues and enhances the people’s sense of happiness, gain, and security.
