The More, The Merrier

The suggestion has been made that Hong Kong couples should have three children to boost the city's falling birth rate.

The overwhelming response has been a great, wet raspberry. Who has the energy for three kids? Hong Kongers are exhausted as it is. Step aboard any bus or train at 9am (or 6pm) and you get to watch folks sleep en masse.

Hong Kong already has a median of more than 6,000 people per square kilometer, with some districts running as high as 50,000. Given the average flat size is about 650 square feet, many with only two bedrooms and one bathroom, housing would be a nightmare. Cramming five people into a tiny space is bound to create friction.

Then there's the expense of education; the financial burden would bankrupt many families.

What's next: reinstituting the ancient custom of having second wives and concubines?

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