Stolen daughters - the policy that tore Chinese families apart

Stolen daughters - the policy that tore Chinese families apart

May 8, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

Barbara Demick discusses her book about Chinese twin girls separated by the one-child policy and its broader implications on family and identity in China.

Barbara Demick has spent her career telling the stories of people living under some of the world’s most repressive and dangerous regimes. From North Korea to Tibet and Bosnia, her reporting and books have helped readers understand what life looks like far beyond the headlines. Her latest book, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove , chronicles the true story of Chinese twin girls, born in rural Hunan, separated by China’s one-child policy. Demick joins The Front Page to explain how the book acts as more than one family’s tragedy. It’s also an account of how state policy reshaped private life, family structure and identity in China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: NZ Herald

Guest: Barbara Demick

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

Places: China, Hunan, North Korea, Tibet, Bosnia

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