The song of love drifts in the wind,
Our hearts fly to the distance,
Look at that beautiful revolutionary ideal.
Contribute youth and strength to the motherland.
Dear people, go hand in hand, go hand in hand,
Our life is full of sunshine and full of sunshine.

These are lines from a song used in the 1980’s to introduce family planning to the people of China. The one-child policy was supposed to be a solution for a population problem but it caused more problems on its own. While the Government is starting to fix his own damage, Cato Van Rijckeghem is researching the blank spaces that have been left behind.

The photographer looks into the shared story of young Chinese women who were born in a country with a one-child policy. The culture-specific preference for a son constructed a challenging situation for the less desired daughters.

So what if you are a girl? What if you are the only child? What if you are not the only child? What if you are alone either way? What if you are lonely together? 

(2017-2019)