Crash Course: China's Great Leap Backward: So much for the next dominant superpower

The Chinese century is over. Facing upside-down demographic and economic trends, China is heading off the cliff [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcmhjNXVwejNjbC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZGd5ZG5vZXZicC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). China's Great Leap Backward: So much for the next dominant superpower Every age-related trend in China is going in the wrong direction. The nation's median age, once well below the Western world's, is now [older than America's](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbDRnaXF4MXRpMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and headed further north with every passing year. [Deaths outnumbered births](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOWp3OTEweDRncy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) last year for the first time since 1961. The fertility rate, which normally must be at 2.1 children per adult woman just to maintain a steady population, [has slipped to below 1.1](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcHZiNGhkYnNrMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) — a figure made worse by the fact that, unlike in virtually every other country on the planet, China doesn't have a relatively even gender split in its adult population, the [long-term result](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYm4wNjh2a2tmaS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) of male favoritism combined with the central government's infamous one-child policy. Basic math dictates that tens of millions of these "extra" men will never start families of their own. To compound the problem even further, women in China have indicated lower interest in having children than ever before; more than two-thirds have expressed ["low birth desire."](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZmtpZmkxN2s1OS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Read the rest from Joe Tauke.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMzcxMHIwdmlpYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/sizsus) Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp can teach Jason Aldean a thing or two about small towns [From David Masciotra](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd3VpZTEwbnNvei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo): The left too often dismisses patriotism as naïve or central to destructive right-wing politics of hatred and exclusion. But people have a healthy desire to feel proud of their homes and heritage. Mellencamp's thoughtful love for his "small town," as opposed to Aldean's reactionary tantrum, provides an artistic model for how to balance patriotism and protest. Keep Salon independent — [subscribe today](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdmRsbDFjYjY2di8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) and unlock more benefits! 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Long COVID is largely to blame Before you go ... Why menstrual cups in space matter Close living quarters and hygiene-tech constraints can make periods in space less convenient for astronauts than those had on Earth. Most astronauts choose to [opt-out of menstruation](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvc3EzbGxlYm9xMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemtXA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) altogether for the course of their space-faring, known as medically-induced amenorrhea. It's usually accomplished by hormonally suppressing periods via [birth control pills](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcGtwcjlvbDN5dC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), progestin shots like Depo-Provera or intrauterine devices. But for months-long stints on the International Space Station, not to mention the rising [potential for travel to Mars](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZHVrbDdiZGE1cy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), long-term hormone suppression may not be every astronaut's preference. [Read the rest from Rae Hodge.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMnFoaTVsd2oybS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPXJyb3IydzczemsmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKZLY9lMdk1qUl9FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Getty Images/TatianaMagoyan) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRmqhk9P0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmS2PZTHZNalJfRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. 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