As China is ushering in the Year of Pig, many young couples are welcoming the Lunar New Year not only with firecrackers, but also with diapers.

More members of the generation born under the one-child policy have reached the age of marriage and child-bearing and China is bracing itself for a comparative baby boom. But a mixture of tradition and superstition means that 2007 will be set to the tune of some serious dummy sucking.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2007 is the year of the Golden Pig, a particularly auspicious year that only comes round once every 60 years.

Xu Wen, a young woman in Shanghai, became pregnant a few months ago and is just one of the millions of Chinese parents who succumbed to the belief that a 2007 baby would be showered with good fortune.

"The oldies in my family said the Golden Pig will bring luck and blessings to my child," said Xu.

"2007 is the year of "Jin", meaning gold, according to the rotation of five elements of gold, wood, fire, water and earth," said Yu Yue, an expert on folk culture.

"The pig, as a major livestock, has been a symbol of wealth and abundance in China since ancient times," Yu explained.

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