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.