The baby was on the baby buggy beside a shop in the Chenggong Market

Baby on baby buggy in Chenggong Market — Baby on a baby buggy

Perhaps it is my imagination, but when I walk around central Taipei, I do not see many children playing around. It may be that families with children tend to stay away from the center of the city, but it is a fact that Taiwan's birth rate is low. While Japan's low fertility rate is around 1.4, Taiwan's is a surprisingly low 1.13. According to a World Bank survey, Taiwan has the fourth-lowest birth rate in the world. It seems as if Taiwan has implemented a one-child policy similar to that of mainland China, even though it was not forced to do so. If this continues, Taiwanese people will soon disappear from the face of the earth.

As I walked through Chenggong Market, I felt an unusual presence of children. There was a stroller by the side of a store with a baby in it. Unusual. The people working in this market and those visiting to buy are all of a certain age. The presence of children is such a breath of fresh air around them. When I looked at the baby, the curious baby returned my gaze with a large piece of candy in her mouth.

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