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Yi Xiaojing, 21, a junior at Lingnan Normal University in Guangdong, has a big family– her two parents, plus a younger brother and two younger sisters.
21岁的易晓静是广东岭南师范学院大三的学生。她生长在一个大家庭，家里有双亲，一个弟弟和两个妹妹。
Yi took her role as the “big sister” seriously. When her first sister was born, Yi took turns with her mom holding the baby late into the night. She changed diapers and mixed baby formulas. “I practically did everything that was supposed to be a parent’s job,” she said.
晓静很小的时候就承担起了“大姐姐”的责任。当她第一个妹妹出生时，她和母亲每晚轮流照看宝宝。她给妹妹换尿布，准备婴儿食物。“我干的很多活实际上都是父母的工作，”她说。
Not all of Yi’s peers shared her experiences due to the family planning policy, a law that was enacted in China about four decades ago. But the situation is about to change. A communiqué issued on Oct 29 after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee said all couples can now have two children.
因为大约40年前开始实施的计划生育政策，并不是所有的同龄人都有晓静这样的体验。10月29日，中国共产党第十八届五中全会公报宣布全面实施一对夫妻可生育两个孩子的政策。
The new policy is expected to help reverse China’s negative demographic trends. Up until recently, China was projected to face an aging population and labor shortages due to the current low birth rate.
中央希望新政策能扭转我国人口增长疲软的现状。直到近期，因较低的人口出生率，我国面临着老龄化和劳动力不足的问题。
The two-child policy may also yield benefits for individual citizens. Researches found that growing up with a brother or sister can have a positive impact on one’s mental health.
二孩政策对国民个人来说也是个好消息。有调查发现，和兄弟姐妹一起长大更有利于孩子的心理健康。
Emotional well-being
情感满足
“Siblings do matter in unique ways. They give kids something that parents don’t,” Laura Padilla-Walker, a Brigham Young professor, told Medical News Today. She noted that having a sibling protects adolescents against negative feelings such as loneliness, guilt, fear and self-consciousness.
杨百翰大学教授劳拉帕迪利亚-沃克告诉《每日医学新闻》：“兄弟姐妹对人有特殊的影响。他们能给孩子父母无法给予的东西。”她还指出，兄弟姐妹能帮助青少年远离孤独、内疚、恐惧、害羞等负面情绪。
Liu Xiaofeng, 20, from Guangdong Peizheng College, has a younger sister. When her sister disagreed with parents over choosing a college major, she helped her to communicate with parents. “If it ever comes to the point of picking sides, I would always have her back,” said Liu. “The best part of having a sibling is that you have a companion, confidant and supporter throughout your life.”
20岁的刘晓凤就读于广东培正学院，她有一个妹妹。当妹妹因选择大学专业和父母产生争执的时候，她帮助妹妹和父母沟通。“如果到了一定要表明立场的时候，我会站在她那边，”她说。“有妹妹最大的好处就是你会拥有一辈子的伙伴、知己和支持者。”
But children with siblings also have to learn to compromise and to rein in their emotions, said Padilla-Walker.
不过帕迪利亚-沃克认为非独生子女必须学会妥协和控制情绪。
Zhang Yuxuan, 21, a junior at Xi’an International Studies University, grew up with her younger brother in a village in Shaanxi while her parents worked in Xi’an. When her parents could afford one child in the city, they picked her brother. She stayed in the countryside for another five years.
21岁的张雨轩是西安外国语大学大三的学生。她和弟弟在陕西农村长大，而她的父母在西安打工。当父母只有能力接一个孩子去城里同住时，他们选择了她的弟弟。而她在农村又住了5年。
“Situations like that are inevitable because the resources are limited,” she said. “I have no resentment or hard feelings.”
“这种情况也是无可奈何，因为资源太有限，”她说。“我一点也不埋怨他们。”
