Feeding China's Little Emperors

A report on children's diets from the fields of anthropology, sociology, political economy, and nutrition.

Focusing on the food consumption of China's only-child generation and changes in children's food under the influence of globalization.

The book originated from the "Food Consumption Patterns in Chinese Society" research project initiated by Professor James L. Watson, a senior professor in Harvard University's Department of Anthropology, at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Among the nine authors are Professor Watson himself, his long-time colleagues, and six of his students. Consequently, the essays exhibit an extraordinary degree of inter-correspondence, which is a rare feat in edited volumes.

The book revolves around five main themes: first, the dietary nutrition of Chinese people after the reform and opening-up; second, the rise of the children's food industry in China; third, the discourse of scientific parenting by the state; fourth, the penetration of global consumer culture into Chinese family life; and fifth, the social identity and value changes accompanying dietary transformations.

The term "little emperor" refers to...