China is likely to witness a rebound in births this year because of people's favorable attitude toward having a baby in the Year of the Pig, Tuesday's China Daily reported.

"It is almost certain the number of births this year will be higher. Traditionally, population peaks occur during the Year of the Pig," Xu Congjian, president of Shanghai-based Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital at Fudan University.

A traditional belief exists in many areas of China that the pig symbolizes wealth and productivity, and a baby in that year will have good luck.

The newspaper quoted Yan Songbiao, president of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, as saying that the lunar calendar plays an important role in some couples' plans to have a baby.

In 2014, which is the Year of Horse, an animal favored by Chinese, 17,250 babies were born in Yan's hospital, the highest number recorded in the past 60 years. But the following year, which was the Year of the Goat, the number fell to around 12,000.

The number of births on the Chinese mainland in 2016 increased by 1.3 million to 17.86 million, the highest since 2000, but the number fell by more than half a million in 2017, according to the newspaper.

(Source: Xinhua)