By Xinhua Writer Dong Lixi

    BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Many Chinese couples planned to have babies in 2004 -- the "year of the monkey" and a lucky year, according to lunar calendar.

    Everyone in China has his or her "Sheng Xiao" -- one of the 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) used to symbolize the year in which a person is born.  Many Chinese believe "monkey" babies will be more cute, bright and intelligent.

    Approximately 10,000 babies are expected to be born in Beijing Maternity Hospital (BMH) this year, twice the number of other years, hospital statistics show.

    Through Oct. 31, 7,684 women have given birth at the hospital, more than the whole year's number in most other years, the hospital noted, adding that more than 2,000 more pregnant women have registered in the BMH, planing to give birth in the next two months.

    The hospital has had to turn doctors' offices into wards and to shorten the time of observation for women. Other hospitals in Beijing face similar situations, according to BMH.

    Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have also had more pregnant women this year, according to local health bureaus in these cities.

    Since embarking on the one-child policy, people in China have become particular when looking after their babies, providing them with fine, nutritious food, nice clothes, better education and even choosing the year of birth.

    The year of 2003 was the "Year of Sheep" in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to tradition, babies born that year will have ill fortune. Thus, many would-be mothers delayed their plans to have a baby.

    Liang Ke, a stewardess with Air China who will give birth to her baby next month, said "my husband and I have waited for our baby since we failed to have one in 2000, the year of dragon." Thecouple began to make preparations last year, in order to have their first baby this year, the year of monkey.

    However, experts said superstitious ideas bring those babies more troubles than luck, as the birth peak may bring a range of ripple effects. Kids born this year could have difficulties entering schools and finding jobs, for example.

    Citing the year of dragon, another lucky year as an example, experts said the "dragon babies" or the millennium babies born in 2000 have faced problems already. In 2003, a large number of China's "millennium babies" who have reached school age, put heavy pressure on China' kindergartens.

    Li Ping, a functionary of the Ministry of Water Resources, pays30,000 yuan (about 3,600 dollars) besides regular tuition for her son, born in 2000, to attend a public kindergarten.

    This year's "monkey babies" could even create another birth peak when they grow up and get married, acknowledged experts. "To bring real fortune to their kids, Chinese couples at child-bearingage should avoid such birth peak." Enditem