Is the extended family less important now than it was in the past? I don't agree that extended family is less important now. On the contrary, I think it becomes more and more important. I have closer relations with my extended family than my parents' generation and grandparents' generation. First of all, I don't have siblings. In China, there is a controversial population control policy called one-child policy. One family only has one child. Then, who are those children supposed to spend their childhood with? Cousins. The most exciting thing for me when I was young was that my parents took me to my grandparents' house during weekends. At there, I could play with my cousins all day long. My cousins are not only family but also my closest friends. They are always very trustful and supportive. Comparing with my parents and grandparents, they spend most of their time with their brothers and sisters, and gradually lose contact with their extended families. Secondly, it is more easy to contact with extended family nowadays. My grandfather of my mother's side left his hometown when he was a teenager. At that time, telephone had not yet appeared in China, and the postage fee was very expensive. My grandfather said that it was so luxuriouslyluxary to write or receive a mail from his family, and they didn't contact with each other for years. Thanks to internet, I can chat with my cousin who is in Australia, facetime with my grandparents when I attend university, and send the birthday greeting messages to my cousins easily. The size of the earth really shrinks because of the technology, therefore, I am closer to my family members. Lastly, we rely on other people heavily nowadays, not just family members, but also friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. Because of that, family looks so important for us. In my grandparents generation, they could simply grow their foods in the field, make their own clothes that can be wore for years. They drank water that came from their wells, and fed their own hens. They can survive even if they don't have too much connection with the "outside". However, that is not the case now. For example, I went to high school in the city where my uncle's family live. I spent three years there with my cousin twins, and my aunt always took care of me as if I were her child, which I am so grateful. Therefore, I firmly believe that extended family is more important these days. We contact with each other more frequently, and we take care of each other more.