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Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

Outlook: The True Impact of China's One-child Policy

Xinran Xue

26/05/2015

The True Impact of China's One-child Policy

BBC World Service - Outlook, The True Impact of China's One-child Policy

Growing up without siblings; the reality of China's one child policy.

The consequences of China's one-child policy, actor Bradley Cooper, being a psychologist in Iraq, and the Senegalese baker who has won the prize for best French baguette.

Extraordinary personal stories from around the world with Jo Fidgen. Today, the true impact of China's one-child policy. 35 years ago China banned parents from having more than one child in most circumstances. As a way of keeping the population down and raising living standards, it's been pretty successful - it's thought that there are 400 million fewer people in China than there would have been. But it's also created some staggering social problems. Journalist and author Xinran Xue has just written a book about this generation that has grown up without siblings.

We hear from the Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper who is appearing on stage in London as The Elephant Man - based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, who lived in the 19th century, and was nicknamed the Elephant Man because of a condition that made his skin look thick and lumpy, and left him with bony growths on his head. During his short life, Joseph became a star of what was then known as the travelling 'freak-show' circuit - and was most famously portrayed by Sir John Hurt in the 1980 David Lynch film of the same name. 

There's only one psychiatrist in northern Iraq treating the 150-thousand Yazidi refugees who've fled the extremist group, Islamic State (IS) - he's Dr Haitham Abdalrazak and he's something of a pioneer. In 2009, he introduced western-style psychological support into a besieged suburb of Baghdad, called Sadr City. He's since moved to the Kurdish north, and is helping people there. He speaks to Outlook about his work. 

The baguette is a symbol of French culture and they take its quality very seriously indeed. In Paris, a competition is held every year to find the best baguette - the winner gets the right to supply the French president with baguettes every morning. This year the prize has been won by a baker from Senegal - Djibril Bodian. So what is it that gives his baguette that certain 'je ne sais quoi?'

(Picture: Xinran Xue. Photo: Juliana Joh)

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