Nation moves to avert demographic time bomb

The government is looking to raise the number of births

Yang Dan is envious every time she hears that a woman she knows is having a second child. However, the mother of a 5-year-old boy in Panjin, Liaoning province, is adamant that she will not extend her family; at least not for a few more years.

"I think of my old age sometimes. If I were to have a second child, my husband and I would have two children to take care of us in turn when we are too sick or old to cope. Hopefully, they would not feel too burdened," the 33-year-old said. "But the pressure of having a second child is too huge for us to bear at the moment."