On the 2nd of June many Chinese will celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. Also known as the Duānwǔ Festival or Duānwǔ jié [端午節] it is a traditional and statutory holiday dating back many centuries.

The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan [c. 340–278 BC] of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty.

Of course for most people, even in China, the origins are less well remembered. Nonetheless on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar families and friends will gather and eat snacks, drink realgar wine [雄黃酒, xiónghuángjiǔ] and partake in the racing of dragon boats.

One snack most often consumed is Zòngzi [粽子], a sticky rice concoction wrapped up in bamboo leaves. Fillings vary, but along with glutinous rice other ingredients may include sweet red bean paste or savoury fillings such as shiitake mushrooms, salted duck egg, pork belly, shredded pork, chicken or other meats.

Many people will prepare such snacks at home, but it will be common to find them at market stalls.

As well as snacking, many people will also consume something known as realgar wine [雄黃酒, xiónghuángjiǔ]. The alcoholic drink contains reälgar which was once considered to be a universal antidote against poison in traditional Chinese medicine. Thus it was often used to protect against disease, snakes, and evil spirits.

Nowadays, its consumption is less common, and báijiǔ [白酒], a strong Chinese spirit usually made of sorghum, or beer is more likely to be drunk.

Another tradition is to hang special perfume pouches about the necks of children. Parents first sew little bags made from colourful silk cloth, and then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines. The perfume pouches are said to be able to ward off evil spirits.

Dragon boat racing 赛龙舟 (sài lóng zhōu) is a particularly important part of the festival. Dragon-shaped boats, propelled at speed by several rowers to the accompaniment of rapid drum beating, take part in races along rivers or other stretches of water and attract thousands of onlookers.

This year’s festival will occur on the 2nd of June and, in China at least, events are likely to attract record numbers of people according to the People’s Daily.

Like most young children, my baby usually wakes up in the wee hours of morning and demands to be breastfed for about 10 minutes before returning to sleep.

With both eyes still closed, she would express her desire in a gentle and lovely tone “Māmā, NǎiNai” [妈妈, 奶奶], which means “Mummy, milk milk” in Chinese.  Whenever I hear this, my heart melts with an irrepressible feeling of content and proudness of being a mother able to breastfeed her.

I am still breastfeeding my girl, who will turn 2 in a few months. This surprises myself and also my friends and family members both in the UK and back in China. The great support and amount of information I received in the UK during my pregnancy and after childbirth made a huge difference and made my breastfeeding less worrisome and a more satisfying experience.

I thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the love and bond nurtured between me and my baby through breastfeeding, which I am sure any mother, especially those breastfeed their babies, also feel.

Difficult choices

Although the benefits of breastfeeding are widely recognised, in practice most mothers opt either for bottle feeding or give up breastfeeding after only a few weeks.

In countries like China, breastfeeding is traditionally seen as a “duty” or the “natural” thing to do, something that a mother is supposed to do if they are able.

However, over the past few decades several factors have reduced the numbers of mothers who breastfeed. One major factor is the increased commercialisation of formula milk, often advertised as a better alternative to mother’s milk. But another factor is the pressure on mothers to return to work, often much earlier than in the West. In fact the choice is often taken away for many mothers.

“I would have liked to have breastfed my baby,” Lulu [not her real name] explains, “but I did not have enough milk because I was not allowed to feed my newborn for two weeks after giving birth.” She, like a lot of expectant mothers, had elected to have a caesarean, something that is often discouraged for a first child in Europe and especially the UK unless there are medical reasons. But even those having a caesarean in Europe are still nonetheless encouraged to breastfeed and it is common for the newborn to be brought to its mother within an hour of being delivered.

But in some parts of China mothers who have had a caesarean are put on a drip of antibiotics and many doctors disallow mothers from breastfeeding their newborns. With caesareans having risen to around 46% of all births in China, and with breastfeeding falling, it is no surprise that the demand for formula milk is rising. The rise of elected caesareans is often due to pregnant mothers fearing painful natural births or worry their vaginas might be stretched or damaged by a normal delivery. Some women also prefer the operation because they mistakenly believe it is less risky. “I had a caesarean because I heard that a woman had experienced problems giving birth naturally at the hospital where I was due to give birth,” says Lulu.

Influential factors

As well as some mothers essentially being prevented from breastfeeding, most have to give up breastfeeding due to domestic pressures. Chinese mothers are not offered the same length of statutory maternity time off as seen in developed countries, and often have to return to work within three months. Of course, better off mothers can take more time off work, if they can support themselves financially, though their job is not protected and may be gone once their child is fully weaned.

In the West expectant mothers are positively encouraged to breastfeed. There are many prenatal classes, and even special breastfeeding classes where even dads are encouraged to attend in order to understand the process.

Information and advertising is also very different. While companies manufacturing formula milk want to encourage parents to buy their product, many actively promote breastfeediing and even print such advisories on their packaging.

One firm that particularly encourages mothers to breastfeed is Hipp Organic. Indeed they actively state on much of their publicity material that “Breast is best”. Of course, there is also an important commercial reason behind such messages. In the minds of many it can build up trust in a particular company, thus when a mother decides to quit breastfeeding she may be more likely to switch to a company that’s been more open and honest.

While most new mothers see breastfeeding as better, many find it difficult. Sore nipples and other physical issues certainly play a part in mothers giving up, but there are social pressures too. Many mums feel embarrassed trying to feed their child in public, indeed it would not be uncommon for breastfeeding mums to get disapproving glances and even requests that one desist. Even where mothers have been discreet there are many stories of breastfeeding mums being asked to move to another part of a restaurant or stop feeding altogether, this despite laws which now prohibit such discrimination. In China, the thought of asking a mother to stop feeding her child would be unheard of.

However in both China and the West the biggest factor in women not persevering with breastfeeding is the need to return to work. All these factors have had an affect on the way a mother feeds her child.

Rise and fall in breastfeeding

According to the Infant Feeding Survey conducted every five years by The NHS Information Centre, the proportion of babies breastfed at birth in the UK rose by 5% from 76% in 2005 to 81% in 2010.

Figures also indicate that across the UK, rates of “some breastfeeding” showed a rise. At six weeks, the number of women breastfeeding at was 48% in 2005 and 55% in 2010, while at six months they were 25% in 2005 and 34% in 2010.

Regarding those who exclusively breastfed, at three months the number of mothers was 17% in 2010, up from 13% in 2005, and at four months, it was 12% in 2010, up from 7% in 2005. However, exclusive breastfeeding at six months remains at around 1% in the UK.

In contrast, the breastfeeding rates in China have declined dramatically over the 10 years up to  2008 and there have been few signs of improvement since.

According to the World Bank, the rates of exclusively breastfed babies up to 6 months old in China slumped from 67% in 1998 to 27.6% in 2008, with the rate in cities only reaching 16% in 2008.

As from 2008, there were no big changes, with the rate of exclusively breastfed babies up to six months old in China’s cities remaining at only 16%, among the lowest in Asia. Even in rural China breastfeeding hovers at around 30%.  

Meanwhile the number of breastfed babies at 2 years old is only 9%  in China, much lower compared to other Asian countries such as Myanmar which showed the highest proportion of breastfed babies at around 65%.

While the percentages are certainly higher than those seen in the West there is a definite shift in how breastfeeding versus formula feeding is developing. Commercialisation of formula milk powder, a lack of parental support as well as a lack of knowledge and education all play a part in reducing the numbers taking up breastfeeding in China.

Excessive promotion

Excessive promotion of formula milk and the message that it is better than human milk has also helped fuel the problem. In 2005, only 500 million US dollars worth of formula milk was sold in China. By 2012 this had risen dramatically to 3.5 billion US dollars. And that figure is still rising at a rate of 15% annually.

Some 66% of Chinese mothers incorrectly believe that breast milk will be much less nutritious after six month of feeding. There are also social pressures too, with families encouraging weaning at a much earlier age than is the norm in the West, or even recommended by the WHO.

In China it is not uncommon for parents to begin weaning as early as 3 months old, well below the usually recommended 6 months and still below new advice that 4 months is suitable for some.

At least one survey showed that some 54.6 % of parents began to feed their babies solids before they were three months old [link]. The survey also revealed that only 16.6% of babies were breastfed within one hour of being born. One factor in this as already discussed is the rise in caesarian births. The proportion of women who underwent a caesarean section in the 1970s was only 5%. By 2012, this had risen to 46.5% [link].

WHO advice

On its website the World Health Organisation recommends that mother breastfeed for as long as two years and that babies be “exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.”

Furthermore, “exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible except for a few medical conditions, and unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production,” the WHO state.

At the end of the day it is a mother’s choice whether or not to breastfeed. However in both the East and West there need to be changes in education, understanding and support for mothers such that they can offer the best nutrition for their babies.

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This piece is part of a series of articles dedicated to exploring parenting expertise by looking at cultural backgrounds and the pros-and-cons of various traditions. This special series is also posted with acknowledgement to International Children's Day which is observed on the 1st June.

If you enjoyed this article please check out “Colourful Childhood: exploring cultural impacts on kids and parenthood” , “Cultural differences in potty training” and "Cultural divides in raising a vegetarian child".

Just as in the West, vegetarianism has become popular even in Asian countries where meat traditionally plays a significant part in people’s diets. In China, it has even become fashionable to go to a vegetarian restaurant, many of which are expensive and target a niche, but rising market.   

Nobody would argue that becoming vegetarian has certain health benefits, as well as being kinder to the environment and acknowledging animal welfare. However, for many people it is difficult to change habits of a lifetime.

The eating of meat is not only a difficult thing to give up for individuals who have eaten it all their lives, it is also something that many believe is either an important part of a balanced diet or that humans are meant to eat.

Whilst there are heated debates on both sides of the fence, most nutritionists believe that people should at least cut down on the amount of meat we eat. As such some parents believe that to raise a child as a vegetarian provides a better start in their lives.

But while western attitudes to raising a vegetarian child have softened, in countries like China meat is still seen as important and not to be excluded from the diet.

Meat of course contains many nutrients that are important. But all these nutrients, be it protein, iron, calcium and B vitamins amongst others, can all be found in plant based foods [N.B. Vitamin B12 is only found in meat, eggs and dairy products, so vegans need to take a vitamin supplement which is usually synthesized from sea vegetables such as nori].

In many western countries there is a greater understanding of food nutrition and as far as vegetarians and vegans are concerned, an even better understanding as to what foods to eat in order to maintain a balanced diet.

But in countries like China where meat is a significant part of the diet, there is more resistance to raising a child to be a vegetarian, let alone vegan.  

Over the past half century China has experienced various problems concerning the feeding of its people. Questionable agricultural policies, floods, droughts and other environmental factors have all led to less food being on the table.

And while meat is considered important, it has often been rationed or been in short supply. Indeed even whilst I was growing up in the 1970s meat was often served only on special occasions such as when treating friends or during festivals.

Nowadays meat is readily available, and far cheaper than it once was. Thus meat is now commonplace during any meal. In fact one will often get curious looks if you announce you don’t eat meat or that it be omitted from certain dishes.

That is not to say that vegetables don’t play an important part in Chinese cuisine. There are countless vegetarian dishes, some of which are highly prized. But pure vegetarians are often only associated with certain religions such as Buddhism.

In some respects many Chinese look upon the eating of plant based products as being more important than westerners. Grains, including rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, cereals and beans are regarded as indispensable nutritious staple foods. Meanwhile fruits, vegetables and meat were seen as supplements, according to a highly regarded ancient text in Chinese medicine ‘The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic’ (Huangdi Neijing, 黄帝内经).

Furthermore, in promoting a balance of Yin and Yang, Chinese medicine often urges people to become vegetarian in order to preserve health and obtain longevity. And as a Chinese saying goes; “fish brings heat and meat brings phlegm, but Chinese mustard greens and tofu keep you healthy” [yúshēnghuǒ, ròushēngtán, qīngcàidòufubǎopíng'ān - 鱼生火, 肉生痰, 青菜豆腐保平安].

But with so many tasty dishes and in a culture which focuses so much on food, it is understandably difficult for many to abstain from eating meat.

However, there are a growing number of Chinese adults who are reducing their consumption of meat or even becoming vegetarian.

But the idea of a vegetarian child invokes very strong emotions. When learning that I was raising my young child as a vegetarian, nearly all of my Chinese relatives, friends or acquaintances showed surprise or expressed disapproval. Many thought it was not a good diet for a young baby. Even in England, some people have suggested that I should feed her some meat such as chicken.

Nonetheless as parents, it is our choice, and we have persevered to offer our child a healthy balance diet. While she eats some oily fish [great for those Omega-3 fatty acids] for the most part she is on a lacto-vegetarian diet and was breastfed from birth.

Sometimes I get concerned, especially when my little darling shows no appetite or becomes fussy over her food. But as health visitors, and my husband, point out all babies can have their off-days. She is however, very healthy and shows good growth, weight gain and excellent mental development.

In the long run I hope she benefits from her healthy diet, encouraged and supported not only by my husband but also by my mother back in China. Indeed, she often urges me to eat less meat or even become a vegetarian like my husband and daughter.

Even for well-educated people like myself, we can often be oblivious to the knowledge that the nutrients in meat can be obtained from other foods. But I have come to understand and accept the vegetarian lifestyle having lived in the UK for several years, and overcome pressures to make my child eat meat.

Whilst a balanced nutritious diet is all important, I also try to make her meals tasty. While fussy on occasion, conversations with other mums has revealed that their kids can be just as fussy and many often refuse to eat their veggies.

Whilst some paediatricians advocate children being brought up on a vegetarian, or even vegan [NYT], diet, others do not. Ultimately it is a parental choice.

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This piece is part of a series of articles dedicated to exploring parenting expertise by looking at cultural backgrounds and the pros-and-cons of various traditions. This special series is also posted with acknowledgement to International Children's Day which is observed on the 1st June.

If you enjoyed this article please check out “Colourful Childhood: exploring cultural impacts on kids and parenthood”, “Cultural differences in potty training” and "Breastfeeding:  Challenges faced by East & West".

As parents, we have a love-hate feeling towards nappies. Disposables are environmentally unsound and washables can create a lot of extra work. But in the west they are a necessity. Unfortunately too many parents can rely on them too much and appear to have forgotten the basics of toilet training.

It was recently reported that some British children aged 5 were still wearing nappies and there were even instances of some kids as old as 11. Such situations cause problems not only for the children but also create an increased workload for teachers. And according to studies this situation is getting worse. The problems have prompted a call for parents to work harder and help their kids develop their toilet-using skills before preschool.

Whenever I pass on such stories to my friends in China, the usual response is one of surprise. “Are you kidding?” they might say, or “How could that be possible?”

In China and other Asian countries it is commonplace for babies and young children to be off nappies by the age of 2. Indeed they may be seen as “developing slowly” or “having some problems” if this is not the case. Social pressure has a part to play, but another important issue is the fact that the maternity leave in China is only 98 days, just over three months, much shorter compared to the 10 months granted to mothers in the UK. This, to some extent, urges Chinese mothers to have their newborns trained earlier and get them well prepared for being looked after by grandparents or nurseries.

It might be astonishing to many westerners that Chinese parents begin potty training very early, sometimes after the baby is only a few weeks old. In fact the method is sometimes referred to as an “ancient Chinese secret” which has been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.

The method often involves routinely holding the baby over a potty in an attempt to encourage them to pass their waste products, usually with the help of whistling or shushing noises. In addition many parents will dress their children in crotch-less pants or Kāidāngkù [开裆裤].

While less practiced today as China modernizes it is something that people in rural areas still do. While Western babies go through nappies, training nappies - often referred as pull-ups, potties and then toilets, many Chinese babies go from nappies straight to crotch-less pants with nothing inside at all.

In the past babies and young children would simply squat when the need arose and parents would wash away any deposits. Today mothers can still be seen holding their babies at kerb sides or over plant pots when their child shows a need to go.

In some ways the method works, in the sense that a child understands the process. It is also not too far removed from the methods encouraged by the renowned paediatrician Dr Benjamin Spock who suggested observing the times when a young child showed signs of bowel movements and to sit them upon a potty at those times so as to associate the process with the action of being sat on the potty.

By setting up a routine babies can certainly learn much quicker than those who are left in nappies until they’re soiled.

Crotch-less pants may be traditional in China but would be considered somewhat bizarre or even distasteful in the UK and other western countries. Nonetheless there is something to be said for both Dr Spock’s methods and those seen in China.

Many parents in the west perhaps find it difficult to deal with the time-consuming and laborious methods Spock advocated or perhaps find the whole subject and process overwhelming. Indeed with many people living busier lives some parents might find it simply more convenient just change and throw away a dirty nappy rather than sit patiently aside a young child on a potty several times a day.

The use of nappies should only be for as long as needed. Not only is it important to get a child potty trained and independent, the continued dependence on nappies is not good for the environment. Washable nappies, though still available though companies like Cannymums are certainly not for everyone. And of course crotch-less pants would hardly be an option in most western countries.

I spent a few months in China with my baby daughter and was encouraged by my family to set a routine, holding her over a potty daily. Whilst not giving in to dressing her in crotch-less pants, the routine did seem to have some effect. Indeed, now we’re back in the UK she is almost at the stage where she tells you she wants to go. In fact I hardly ever change anything more than a wet nappy rather than a heavily soiled one.

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This piece is part of a series of articles dedicated to exploring parenting expertise by looking at cultural backgrounds and the pros-and-cons of various traditions. This special series is also posted with acknowledgement to International Children's Day which is observed on the 1st June.

If you enjoyed this article please check out “Colourful Childhood: exploring cultural impacts on kids and parenthood”, "Cultural divides in raising a vegetarian child" and "Breastfeeding:  Challenges faced by East & West".

In a toddler playgroup in the UK, I have been asked by two children, aged at 3 and 6, whether my kid is girl or boy. They actually knew my little darling is a girl but still wanted to raise the question to confirm this. The reason is because my girl is dressed in blue, a colour often associated with boys in the British culture.

Originally coming from China, a culture in which there is no fixed link between colour and gender, I did not intend to challenge the stereotype in the UK: girl is pink, boy is blue. And I never imaged that the colour of the clothes worn by my girl could trigger such questions, prompting me to look at cultural influences upon parenthood.

I have been confronted with similar questions several times when taking my girl out. Sometimes I was a bit annoyed when people seemed to imply that I was at fault to dress her in the “wrong” colour with the intention of making people think she was a boy.

However, I have taken little notice of these comments and insisted on dressing her occasionally in blue. In China, there aren’t set opinions about what colours boys or girls should wear, although bright colours like red, pink, yellow are parents’ favourites for girls, and cold colours like blue, green, grey are often chosen for boys. My daughter does have quite a few blue clothes as she looks pretty and great in blue as well as many other outfits in a wide range of colours.

Finding limited choices of clothes, in terms of colour, in the UK, I prefer to buy clothes from China for my little girl as there are far more choices of colours there.

Talking about colours is just a typical example to demonstrate how cultures and the environment could have an impact upon the ways of parenthood.

No doubt all parents hope their kids have a wonderful childhood with not only a healthy body but also a happy mind. And every parent is trying whatever he or she can do to provide the best for their children. However, sometimes we are unaware of the impact our culture and environment we live in might have until we encounter fresh and sometimes conflicting concepts and practices found elsewhere.

Surely there is no blanket standard as to how to better raise kids, not to mention when considering distinct traditions, customs and religions in different regions and countries. 

It is also wrong to judge the way any parent might wish to nurture their little ones. However, I find from my own experience that there is always something inspiring us to challenge and even question our ways of raising kids, to help improve our parenthood. The question is whether we can recognise them, and whether to ignore them or not?

Parents have to make choices for children since they cannot make such decisions themselves. Some are obvious and important decision, such as protecting them from danger. But other choices may be influential in shaping a child’s personality. Different cultures, religious groups and parents might give their child very different foods, clothes, entertainment and education.

Today there is so much information about how to raise a healthy, charming and clever kid, but often this advice does not focus on the impact different cultures might have both on parents and their children.

Ideally, a happy childhood should embrace a colourful world. To keep this spirit, I consciously buy a wide range of colourful clothes, shoes, toys, and even eating utensils for my little one.  By doing so, I hope to provide her a colourful childhood.

Most people become experienced parents only after having seen their kids grown up. So it remains an interesting and tough question as to how to improve our parenthood along with the growing of the kids rather than afterwards. How we could be more aware of our cultural influence? Shall we go with it or challenge it with a more balanced way? I look forward to discussing these topics with parents who are like minded.

Perhaps in summary we shouldn’t worry too much about these things. Indeed my husband often points to the renowned paediatrician Dr Spock’s assertion that parents know best. "Trust yourself,” Spock said in his bestselling book Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, “You know more than you think you do."

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This piece is part of a series of articles dedicated to exploring parenting expertise by looking at cultural backgrounds and the pros-and-cons of various traditions. This special series is also posted with acknowledgement to International Children's Day which is observed on the 1st June.

If you enjoyed this article please check out “Cultural differences in potty training”, "Cultural divides in raising a vegetarian child" and "Breastfeeding:  Challenges faced by East & West"