8 sons, 5 daughters: Why this Chinese couple raised 13 children despite financial struggles

The family primarily depends on farming for its livelihood (Representational image: Pexels)

A couple in rural China has caught people’s attention after details of their family of 13 children emerged on social media. The unusually large household comes as the country grapples with a declining birth rate.

The couple, identified as Huang, 49, and his wife, 42, live in a village in Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. South China Morning Post cited Jiupai News, which reported that they have eight sons and five daughters, born over the 22 years since their marriage.

Their eldest child, a 22-year-old daughter, is married, while their youngest is just two years old. Their second daughter is studying at university, and their 18-year-old eldest son is in high school. The first two and the youngest three children in the family are girls, with the boys born between them.

Huang said having a large family makes him feel less vulnerable to bullying in the village and reassures him that he will not be alone in his later years. “Seeing my kids and hearing them call me ‘dad’ makes me very happy,” he said.

He said each child has a different personality, with some being sensible and others more mischievous.

Huang said he enrolled his children in school when they reached the appropriate age, as per China’s compulsory education requirements.

Source of income

The family primarily depends on farming for its livelihood. Huang cultivates rice on around 20 mu of land, about 13,340 square metres.

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A local official said the family receives 3,500 yuan (about $520) in government subsidies each month, which helps keep their living standards above the poverty line. Local authorities also provided financial assistance several years ago to help the family construct a two-storey house, SCMP stated.

Huang also faces financial difficulties. In 2016, he was in an accident at a construction site, leaving him with injuries to his leg and waist. He said his medical treatment cost around 100,000 yuan (about $15,000), contributing to debts that he continues to repay.

Despite his injuries, Huang said he works on the family’s farmland throughout the day and sometimes into the evening to provide for his children. “Sometimes I feel pain in my leg and waist from working too long, and I can no longer lift heavy objects.”

Huang said his wife remains in good health after giving birth to 13 children.

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The large number of children in the family comes against the backdrop of major changes in China’s population policy. The country introduced its one-child policy in the late 1970s, before allowing couples to have two children from 2016. In 2021, the government introduced a three-child policy to address falling birth rates and an ageing population.

According to the report, local officials in Guangxi have visited Huang’s home several times and tried to persuade him not to have more children. It remains unclear whether he was fined for having children beyond the limits permitted under the birth-control policies at the time.