【有文稿】跟妈姓，还是跟爸姓?

A county in China's central Anhui province has conducted a "Family Name Reform" policy. Since 2011, Changfeng County (长丰县) has granted couples who permit children to follow their maternal family names 1000 yuan each as a reward. Following the policy, the county's sex ratio of new-borns has dropped from 128:100 between male and female to 114:100. (QD) Lin Kun applauds the policy on gzdaily.dayoo.com, I totally support such a policy. According to China's marriage law, it's legal for a kid to either adopt his/her maternal surname or paternal surname, which means no matter it's a girl or a boy, they should enjoy equal chances in extending their family tree. This new policy is totally in line with the law. (JA) Whereas Qian Wenzhong, a professor from Fudan University, expresses a different opinion on huanqiu.com, It's a Chinese tradition lasting for thousands of years that children can only bear their paternal family names. In this way China's family structure is formed. If parents could randomly decide whose family name their children should bear, China's family tree lasting for thousands of years would be damaged very soon. It would certainly end up in chaos. (LK) Qing Jiujiu whl adds on weibo.com, I'm not so fine with such a policy. It's a family's free choice to decide what family name a child should bear. It's not something that the government should use its administrative power to intervene in. Why not use such powers in the right place? -------------------------------- Notes: --According to an internet survey, 92.5 percent of people follow their paternal family names, 47 percent of people support this policy of Changfeng County while 29 percent oppose to it. --According to traditional Chinese culture, only boys are permanent members of a family; for girls, once they get married, they belong to their husband's family. -------------------------------- (QD) Bai Hua Yi says on blog.sina.com.cn, This policy means to raise women's social status by encouraging children to follow their family names. But I don't think it will be so effective as to change Chinese people's traditional preference on boys. Even if kids in Changfeng are welcome to take their maternal family names, it's still safer to bear sons than daughters because nationwide it's still the paternal names that are better accepted. (JA) On ifeng.com, Wang Dehua raises his doubt, I don't believe the 1,000 yuan award can play such an important role as to change a custom lasting for thousands of years. I doubt some people just want to make quick money by changing their children's family name in the first place and change it back afterwards. (LK) And Rui Wen points out on people.cn, In western countries, generally speaking, women and men enjoy a much more equal social status compared with China. But women there still follow their husbands' surnames after getting married, so are their children, who take their paternal family names. The custom in itself is nothing detrimental. If we truly want to see women hold up half of the sky, we should establish a sound social system which grants equal rights and chances to both sexes rather than simply focus on details such as whose surnames the kids should follow.