Like a little fashion model, 18-month-old You Xiaoqin appears in a frilly white frock, an orange top, pants with polka dots, and a red dress. Her new mother, Zheng Guofang, was showing how much she and her husband could provide for the baby girl they plucked from an orphanage in Hefei, Anhui province.
On April 1, the day the central Government implemented an amendment to the adoption law that now allows couples with children to adopt - and lowers the age requirement from 35 to 30 - Ms Zheng and her husband You Changsheng rushed to the Hefei Social Welfare Institute.
'At the orphanage, they brought out three babies and we chose her,' Ms Zheng said, cuddling Xiaoqin, 'because she looks the brightest.' Xiaoqin's parents, in their early 50s, have three grown children. Ever since their oldest daughter married in 1996 and moved out, Ms Zheng has longed to adopt a baby.
'At our age, my husband and I have nothing much to talk to each other about,' Ms Zheng said. 'The baby brings joy to our life.' The couple lavish clothes and toys on Xiaoqin. They plan to let her take piano lessons when she gets older. 'She is so smart. I am going to support her till she gets a master's degree,' said Mr You, a wealthy businessman in Hefei.
'Our son told us we should enjoy retirement now. It's not easy raising a child, but ever since we got Xiaoqin, we're so happy,' Ms Zheng said.
The amendment comes as a welcome relief to the restrictive adoption law implemented in April 1992 stating that only childless couples over 35 could adopt from social welfare institutes.
Now couples with a child of their own can adopt more than one child from orphanages.