Zhang Yichi was born China's 1.3 billionth citizen on Thursday, January 6th, 2005.

Statisticians calculated the person born in China on January 6th would be declared the 1.3 billionth.

That's one billion more people than live in the United States.

Today, one in five people worldwide is Chinese.

This awe-inspiring number also has great fortune associated with it in China.

"It's lucky to be China's 1.3 billionth citizen," the boy's father Zhang Tong told the Beijing Daily Messenger.

However, Zhang Yichi's parents do not plan to cash in on their son's lucky number.

Their son, who was born at the Beijing Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics, has been offered free insurance and the opportunity to model in a milk formula ad.

His folks have accepted the insurance but have turned down all other offers to commercialize their son's birth.

They are enjoying the attention but do not believe that cashing in on their son's celebrity status will be positive for their son's development.

Yichi's father said:

It is unnecessary to act as an image representative for so many products.

Zhang Yichi is too young and too many commercial activities will have a negative impact on the boy's healthy growth.

Meanwhile, the media attention continues to rise.

Yichi is already both a star and the subject of controversy.

His birth has reignited debate over the government's "one child" policy.

As a result of China's strict family planning policy, the country is proud to boast that the 1.3 billionth child was born four years later than originally predicted.

Nonetheless, rights groups overseas continue to criticize the policy. The increasing imbalance between births of boys and girls is seen as coercive and draconian.

Government figures show that 117 boys are born for every 100 girls.

In order to balance the sexes, China has set the goal of lowering the sex ratio to a normal level by 2010.

One Voice for Modern China

Zhao Baige, 50, the director-general of China's Family Planning Commission in Beijing, initiated a project last year called Girl Care.

The aim: To protect female children.

Education is Key

Rural families are being taught to value daughters as much as sons.

Dr. Baige, a Cambridge University-educated leader, who worked in the U.S. for five years, returned to her homeland in 1988 to improve the social and economic outlook for her one son and fellow women in her country.

She is dedicated to helping stabilize the population and providing a service to the people of China which includes birth control, as well as HIV/Aids prevention.

Education and services for adolescents is especially important.

Creating a population structure that caters to the country's economic needs is critical.

It is estimated that by 2013, there will be 1.1 billion adults in the work force. With that many adults working between 2013 and 2020, hopefully by then someone smart enough will come up with a solution.

Congratulations Zhang Yichi! Congratulations to Zhang Yichi's parents. And congratulations to people like Zhao Baige who are dedicated to creating not only population balance but education programs to inspire parents to dream as big for their daughters as they do currently for their sons.

Dr. Baige's parents should be proud!

Inspire & Be Inspired (R).

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, and "balanced" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King