Number of births in November is twice the average of other months

BEIJING / SHANGHAI / GUANGZHOU - Love is in the air on Valentine's Day, and the many Scorpios walking around may be living proof.

The 2000 national census shows that more people are born in November - the month of Scorpio - than any other time of the year. The number of births is twice the average of other months.

Valentine's Day - which comes about 280 days, a complete pregnancy cycle, before Scorpio birth dates - must have a lot to do with it.

"Scorpio has sexy and mysterious power, and now we can see where that probably comes from," said Yu Jia, 28, an astrology enthusiast. "They come into the world in a romantic setting."

Deng Wei, a Scorpio, said, "If a woman gets pregnant on the most romantic day and gives birth to a Scorpio, then it's God's will and meant to be."

More than 1,978,000 babies were born in November 1999, 14 percent of the 12-month total (from November 1999 to October 2000) counted by the census.

With 1,609,000 newborns, December, the Sagittarius month, had the second-largest number of births, at 11.4 percent.

By way of comparison, babies born in other months accounted for 6.6 percent to 8.6 percent of the total.

Jiang Kelan, an obstetrician for six years, said she has noticed November has always been the busiest month for births at her hospital in Duyun in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

"That may be because many festivals, including the Valentine's Day and Spring Festival, often fall in February," Jiang said.

"It's the time when people don't worry about work and enjoy their free time with their loved ones."

From crystallike cabins of the Ferris wheel in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to extreme freefall from Canton Tower, China's early adaptors to the Western lifestyle have driven the rapid development of products and services provided on Valentine's Day in recent years.

In Shanghai, themed hotels whose facilities and services are dedicated to making couples' private stay more intimate have thrived.

Fashion Hotel, a 90-room boutique hotel with a romantic design on East Huaihai Road, has been especially busy in recent days

It has 10 types of themed rooms priced from 188 yuan ($30) to 677 yuan. Some have waterbeds surrounded by floor-to-ceiling gauze and a feather-decorated ceiling lamp above.

The honeymoon themed room, decorated in pink and red, with rose-petal patterns on the wall and a heart-shaped king-size bed, is also one of the most popular.

"Many couples bring their own wine, rose petals and balloons to add to the romantic atmosphere, so we won't provide additional service on the Valentine's Day," Li Xiao, the hotel manager, told China Daily.

"So far the rooms are fully booked from Monday to Wednesday. In fact, the rooms were also full last weekend, because some people celebrate the Valentine's Day in advance," Li said.

In Guangzhou, in addition to fine cuisine, a rotating restaurant known among locals as Xiaomanyao (little slim waist) will give young patrons not only roses and chocolates, but also caviar.

"To make it more attractive to young couples, we will adjust the lighting to make it more romantic and play Italian music."