Families in the U.S. and around the world are having fewer children as people make profoundly different decisions about their lives. NPR's series Population Shift: How Smaller Families Are Changing the World explores the causes and implications of this trend.

YIMIANPO, China — Small town life suits Lin Xin.

Her yard in the town of Yimianpo, in northeastern China, is one big, sun-soaked garden where the family grows cabbages, carrots, peanuts, and a cornucopia of other fruits and vegetables. Kittens ambush one another from behind shrubs.

"This place is well-suited to retirees," she said. "Living in the countryside is truly nice, and comfortable."

The thing is, Lin is not a retiree. At 48, she's not even old.

She and her husband moved to Beijing 20 years ago to chase their dream

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