Opinion | Serious about babies? China must listen to the people having them

Along a new cultural street in Changsha, the youthful, vibrant capital city of Hunan province, visitors can take a quiz about love, strap on a pregnancy-simulating belly or get their picture taken in front of signs proclaiming “Doing housework is the best” and “I will take care of the baby”.

Festooned with red and pink decorations, the cultural street was launched by the local family planning association this month to promote marriage and childbirth. The media spared no effort in publicising it.

The Changsha Evening News described the granite-paved historic Chaozong Street’s thematic makeover as a “marriage of tradition and modernity”, allowing visitors to experience a journey “through romantic confessions and sweet love to, finally, a happy marriage and shared parenting responsibilities”. The street had transformed into a “cultural landmark with unique charm”, the report said, which could energise the cultural and tourism industry in the area.

On Chinese social media, this new attraction did not go down quite as well. A Weibo post that shared photos of the slogan posters around Chaozong Street – “Having three children is the best”, “I will make breakfast” – drew comments such as “I thought it was a haunted house” and “Feels a bit embarrassing”.

Other comments did not mince words, describing the content of the cultural street as “disgusting”, tarnishing Changsha’s image as an avant-garde city and detrimental to business.

“Whoever came up with this should have more children themselves,” wrote one Weibo user. “Have eight children, make breakfast for eight children every day!”