The Two-Child Era

Chen Shi (back, left) and Zhao Yu, a couple in Hefei, capital city of east China's Anhui Province, with their two daughters on November 10, 2012. The couple, both of which were born in 1980s and have no siblings, decided to have two children when they got married. They welcomed their first daughter Qingyuan in 2008, and the second one Yujie in 2012. They believed that the two children doubled their happiness.
Wu Bimian, an ethnic Dong farmer in Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, poses with her five-month-old baby boy and seven-year-old girl on December 3, 2015. Wu, together with her husband and two kids, is living with her parents-in-law.
Zhang Changchun (back, left) and Zhu Daxi, a farmer couple in Chiping County of east China's Shandong Province, with their two sons in the cornfield on December 5, 2015. Their first son is nine years old, and the younger one is one year old.
Feng Yuqing (second from left), a six-year-old girl in Xingtai City of north China's Hebei Province, enjoys her time with her younger sister Feng Yuyang, parents and grandparents on December 8, 2015. The three generations live under the same roof.
Li Xinyi (center) and her younger brother Li Xinran (left) in Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, imitate their grandpa on December 11, 2015. Their parents are working in another city.
Lu Yongchang (left) and his wife Ou Qingying, a teacher couple in Huai'an City of east China's Jiangsu Province, take a walk with their twin babies at a park on December 14, 2015.

Edited by Li Nan, all photos are courtesy of Xinhua

Chinese lawmakers adopted an amended family planning law on December 27, 2015 to allow all Chinese couples to have two children, two months after the Communist Party of China Central Committee proposed the universal two-child policy. The new law took effect on January 1, 2016.

China introduced the family planning policy in the 1970s to curb the population explosion at the time. It was made a basic national policy in 1982, and restricted most urban couples to only one child.

Beginning in 2002, couples across the country--who are themselves only children--were increasingly given permission to have two children. Restrictions were further loosened at the end of 2013 by allowing parents to have a second baby if at least one of them has no siblings.

Every adjustment was made in order to keep in line with changes in the society at the time, reflecting the flexibility of China's policymaking.

Let's have a closer look at some Chinese families with two children.