Rudong County was called the birthplace of China's one-child policy, implementing it 10 years before the rest of the nation. Now, the youth that once participated in the policy have reached old age, and many are destitute, unable to count on financial assistance from one son or daughter. Despite the solitude these senior citizens endure and the end of the policy, the now middle-aged adults born in that era are reluctant to have more than one child, worsening the stagnant population growth.