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Contemporary Chinese families are experiencing many contradictory situations: "Eating alone" is mkquietly emerging in cities, and New Year's Eve dinners attended by "four generations living under one roof" is also common. Some young people choose to "escape during the holidays," while other young people return to their hometowns without hesitation during the Spring Festival travel rush. These phenomena have triggered discussions about the family, indicating that the status of the family as the "basic unit" of society is constantly being challenged. It also shows the family's tenacity and innovation in the tide of the times, and paints a picture of the diverse symbiosis of Chinese families.

Tracing back to its origins, the changes of family are closely related to every individual. They not only reflect social changes, but also shape the appearance of the family and the country. Although contemporary Chinese families have undergone tremendous changes, some of their underlying principles remain unchanged. Between "change" and "unchange," you can get a glimpse of its trajectory.

First, the family structure is divided but not separated. From 1990 to 2020, the number of people in the average household in China dropped from 3.96 to 2.62. The household structure tended to be simplified, and a pattern was formed in which core households dominated and single households and extended households were supplementary. However, "household" and "family" are different concepts. These scenes reflected more changes in family living patterns and were not completely equivalent to family changes. People's subjective identification of family members and family boundaries are often different from those in cohabitation relationships. For example, a considerable number of old people who live alone in urban areas have children living nearby, creating an intergenerational arrangement of division but not separation.

Second, the functions of the family have been restructured and redistributed. In traditional agricultural societies, the family served as the primary unit for both population reproduction and economic production. However, in industrial societies, factories and enterprises have largely taken over the family's productive role. Meanwhile, its education and elder care functions have been partially socialized, and the risk-sharing function has been supplemented by social security systems. In contemporary society, the family's social support and emotional belonging functions have been partially replaced by diverse "circles" and "dazi," or "companionship." Today, individuals are forming or adapting their family structures based on personal needs. For instance, "two-sided marriages," which emphasize both family inheritance and gender equality, illustrate the adaptability of family functions. This new form of marriage breaks the traditional model where the man is not required to pay a bride price, nor is the woman expected to provide a dowry. Both sides can remain based in their birth families and maintain close ties with them after marriage.

Third, family dynamics are constantly evolving. In core families, spousal and parent-child relationships tend to follow relatively stable patterns. However, with the rise in women's educational attainment and workforce participation, traditional male-dominated family structures have undergone significant shifts. That said, women continue to bear the primary responsibility for caregiving and child-rearing, often facing conflicts between personal development and family obligations. Meanwhile, parental authority over children has weakened, giving way to increased parental responsibilities and financial contributions. This is evident in phenomena such as families pooling resources from multiple generations - the so-called "six wallets" - to purchase a home, as well as the intensifying competition in children's education.

Fourth, the clash and convergence of family values is noteworthy. As family structures transform, perspectives on marriage, love, childbirth and child-rearing have undergone significant shifts. Marriage and childbearing have transitioned from being societal imperatives to personal choices. While many young individuals prioritize personal freedom, they simultaneously uphold the responsibilities of eldercare and child-rearing. Marital and familial bonds continue to be pivotal sources of happiness. The profiles at "matchmaking corners" and the "marriages of convenience" within sexual minority communities, aimed at navigating familial pressures, underscore the enduring influence of traditional family concept.

It's not hard to see that the transformation of Chinese families is marked by the mutual adaptation and even integration of tradition and modernity. This is closely tied to China's rapid modernization process in the past few decades. Essentially, the diverse practices of Chinese families are the creative transformation and self-directed construction of families when neither tradition nor modernity alone can offer solutions, and new possibilities are cultivated in the interaction between tradition and modernity.

Compared with the West, the impact of family transformation on China is more profound, which is rooted in the enduring tradition of family and state in Chinese society. A family is the smallest cell of a nation while a nation is thousands of families put together. People project their feelings for the family onto the nation, and family ethics are elevated to the way of governing the country, forming a political philosophy of the isomorphic construction of family and nation. Thus, the family is the micro foundation of national governance, stabilizing the basic social structure while providing a buffer zone for policy implementation, which has become a unique governance advantage of Chinese society.

Therefore, the family is a crucial foundation for a nation's development, progress and harmony. President Xi Jinping pointed out that regardless of changes in times or transformations in living patterns, it is essential for us to value family construction, and emphasize the importance of family, family education, and family values.

In the process of building a great country and moving toward national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization, it is essential to pay greater attention to the diversity of family development and its unique governance value. We should strive to establish a more open and inclusive concept of family, avoiding the use of a one-size-fits-all framework to evaluate family structures. Instead, we should focus on the essence of "family" rather than its form. It's important to support family development and address the challenges faced by family members, such as achieving work-life balance and managing the responsibilities of caring for the elderly and children. This way we can ensure that the elderly, youth and women within families have the opportunity to grow and thrive in a holistic manner.

We should prevent the entrenchment of social classes that could result from excessive financial strain on families. It's vital to ensure equal access to education and job opportunities, alleviate the living burdens faced by low- and middle-income families and create pathways for upward mobility for family members. We should promote contemporary views on marriage, parenthood and family, fostering an environment where intergenerational and gender relationships can thrive together.

The authors are professor at Fudan Institute on Ageing, and assistant researcher at the Institute for Common Prosperity and Development of Zhejiang University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn