Chinese Year of the Dragon to Cause A Chinese Baby Boom?

No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery.
~R.A. Salvatore

The Chinese New Year begins tomorrow (Jan 23, 2012). The dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese calendar. The year of the dragon is believed by many to be the most auspicious of the 12 zodiac signs. Dragon years in the past have seen a spike in birth rates in China and other places with Chinese populations such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and even New York.

China is expecting a 5% increase in births this year, in spite of, or maybe because of, the year of the dragon. The dragon is special," says a pregnant Hong Kong resident, "I am not willing to wait 12 years for a dragon baby, but I was willing to wait one or two years." The one child rule also makes the birth date especially important.  Beijing hospitals are reporting maternity spaces booked through September. The estimate is a baby has to be conceived by May 2 in order to be born by end of the dragon year (February 9, 2013).



The expected boom will create a spending spree, and put a strain on public services. Businesses that cater to mothers and babies are gearing up. Since the one-child policy was introduced, one baby means more spending on children. The boom will put pressure on hospitals, child care, kindergartens, and schools.

Note: Both of my sons were born in years of the dragon. This was not planned, but has certainly been auspicious!

Something else I learned: 2012 is the year of the water dragon, water having a calming effect on the dragon.