Thomas Scharping is Chair for Modern Chinese Studies at the University of Cologne, Germany. He has published widely on modern China, including Floating Population and Migration in China: The Impact of Economic Reforms (Hamburg: 1997) and the documentary collection The Evolution of Regional Birth Planning Norms in China 1954-97 (for the Journal Chinese Sociology and Anthropology, Armonk: 2000).
'This is a fascinating book, rich with information and insights ... an important contribution to our understanding of the demography of China. I recommend it not only to demographers interested in China but also to anyone insterested in the details of the formulation and enforcement of government policies.' - Population Studies 'Scharping's book proves to be a very important work on topics of Chinese fertility, birth control, eugenics, public policy and development, migration, population, and ethnicity.' - China Information 'It will become the standard work on a very important subject.' - Medical History 'The accomplishment here is impressive ... this volume will serve as a valuable reference work.' - Population and Development Review 'The strength of the book, the first of its kind in English, is that it deals comprehensively with Chinese population policy issues. It contains a detailed description of state population policies since 1949, and Scharping's elaboration on the formulation of population policies and practical implementation is sound.' - The China Journal 'This is a fascinating book, rich with information and insights ... an important contribution to our understanding of the demography of China. I recommend it not only to demographers interested in China but also to anyone insterested in the details of the formulation and enforcement of government policies.' - Population Studies 'Scharping's book proves to be a very important work on topics of Chinese fertility, birth control, eugenics, public policy and development, migration, population, and ethnicity.' - China Information