During a visit to a young mother's home in rural Shaanxi province in north-western China, Qin Shuhui, a family-planning worker, sets out a row of plastic cups on a bare concrete floor. They are playthings for the woman's only child, a 27-month-old girl. Addressing the toddler by her nickname, Yingying, Ms Qin patiently tries to coax her to toss rings around the cups. When Yingying instead walks over and places a ring next to one, Ms Qin smiles and chirps "well done". Turning to the mother, she says: "You should applaud no matter what. It doesn't matter if she fails to toss it around the cup."
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