Mourning the past and fearing the future in China
Spring Festival, when families get together is the hardest time of the year for Shi Hui and her husband -- because their only son will never be with them again on this most important day for Chinese people.
Their son died of cancer three weeks before the Spring Festival in 2012.
As she mourns for the past she fears for the future.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 50-YEAR-OLD SHI HUI SAYING:
"We are quite worried, not only financially, but also about who will look after us when we get old. Even if we don't have illnesses, there will still be a lot of problems as we grow old. We will have difficulty taking care of ourselves and moving around as freely. We won't even be able to go to the hospital or go shopping for daily necessities by ourselves."
China has at least one million "shidu" families - that is families which have lost their only child.
For many of these parents another child is just not an optio
