Olympics fever infects newlyweds, expectant mothers

The Ministry of Civil Affairs held a special meeting on Tuesday in which it ordered local civil affairs authorities to increase staff, use volunteers, work longer hours and open more offices to cope with the registration surge -- as Zhou's bureau has done.

"We must ensure that all couples can have their demand satisfied on August 8 and do our bit for the Olympics," Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Jiang Li told the meeting.

But not every couple aims for 08/08/08.

"Yes, tomorrow is a great day for marriage. But there will be too many couples applying for registration. So my girlfriend and I choose today, the Chinese Valentine's Day," said Yu Guoming at a marriage registration office in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Thursday.

China's Valentine's Day, the Qixi Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It is based on a love story of a cowherd and a fairy seamstress in ancient times.

As a lucky day, 08/08/08 is also a favorite for many pregnant women. In central Chinese city of Changsha, Hunan Province, several hospitals have increased the number of beds for expectant mothers.

"I want to have an Olympics baby on August 8. It is such a special day worth remembering," said a 38-year-old woman surnamed Xie at the Hunan Provincial Maternal and Children Health Hospital.

At the request of Xie and several other expectant mothers, doctors will help them undergo Caesarean births on Friday, said a head nurse surnamed Li at the hospital.

"We advised them that natural births are better, but they are eager to have Olympic babies," Li said.

Editor:Wang Shuqin