Say hello to the second child

Editor's note: In 1985, Zhejiang Province became the first place in China to allow couples to have a second child if both parents are only children. After 29 years, on Jan. 17, the Zhejiang government was the first to lighten its one-child policy again, allowing couples to have a second child if either parent is an only child.

Since the new rule was issued by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013, all 31 provinces, regions and municipalities across China have lightened their one-child policies.

However, because many young couples, especially those living in large cities, feel pressured by work and living costs, the new rules have received a lackluster response. According to the latest statistics from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, only 800,000 of the country's 11 million couples eligible to have a second child -- roughly one in every 14 eligible couples -- had applied to do so by the end of this September.