Tianjin "Bereaved Families" Protest Movement Erupts, Demanding Accountability for CCP’s Family Planning Policies

Elderly individuals repeatedly face obstacles in finding reemployment. Pictured here is a group of elderly people gathered at a street corner in Shanghai.

People News - Following the recent Zhuhai car rampage, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated investigations into so-called "Four No" and "Five Loss" individuals in communities. Meanwhile, in Tianjin, elderly individuals from "bereaved families" staged protests demanding accountability from the CCP for failing to honor pension promises tied to its family planning policies. Reports of arrests have emerged as authorities move to suppress the protests.

On November 14, videos and images circulated on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, showing around 100 elderly individuals protesting outside Tianjin’s health supervision office. They accused the authorities of failing to implement promised pension policies for families who lost their only child under the one-child policy.

Protesters carried banners and flags, chanting slogans such as: “Family Planning Commission, Big Liars!”“Today Tianjin, Tomorrow Beijing.”Some wore slogans reading: “Bereaved but Not Guilty, Petitioning with Justice.” They demanded the government fulfill its promises.

One protester, Mr. Chen, shared his plight: "When we were young, we were fined or fired for having more than one child. In rural areas, they even confiscated our livestock and demolished homes. Now, they are pushing people to have more children, but for us who lost our only children, the government does nothing. My child died during the COVID outbreak, and now I have no pension or support. I’m just waiting to die."

Many protesters criticized the government for breaking its promises and presented materials detailing decades of misleading family planning slogans: 1985: “One Child is Good, the Government Will Provide for Your Old Age.”1995: “One Child is Good, the Government Will Assist in Your Old Age.”2005: “Don’t Rely on the Government for Old Age.”2012: “Delaying Retirement is Good, Provide for Yourself.”Present: “Three Children are Good.”

The one-child policy, launched in the 1970s, has left many parents—now aged 70 to 90—bereaved due to the premature death of their only children. According to a report by the Zhi Gong Party, a Chinese democratic party, China has about 190 million individuals aged 15 to 30 who are only children. With an annual mortality rate of 0.04% for this group, about 76,000 families lose their only child each year. Including those without children or who never married, the number of bereaved elderly exceeds 2 million.

The recent Zhuhai investigations targeted "Four No" individuals—those with no spouse, children, stable income, or property—and "Five Loss" individuals, defined as those experiencing failed investments, despair, estranged relationships, psychological imbalance, or mental illness.

The Tianjin protests occurred amidst growing pressure from the CCP to encourage families to have more children. Local governments have introduced various incentives, such as childbirth subsidies, maternity insurance, childcare policies, pregnancy registration bonuses, and priority housing.

Videos from November 14 showed the protesters, mostly over 60, dressed in winter clothing with scarves and hats.

Reports from Tianjin suggest that local authorities have begun arresting organizers and key contacts to suppress the movement, fearing it could inspire similar actions elsewhere. Officials stated they are committed to "resolutely preventing similar movements from occurring again."

Observers note that the CCP’s policy shifts often contradict one another due to its top-down, authoritarian decision-making process, leading to disastrous consequences with no accountability. The burden ultimately falls on society, which must endure the fallout. This vicious cycle of high-pressure governance and societal backlash could reach a breaking point, analysts warn. When the pressure builds beyond tolerance, it is likely to explode.