Chinese couple aims to have 12 children with 12 different zodiac signs

About the family: Tian Dongxia, 34, documents the life of her large family in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, on her Douyin channel. She and her husband, Zhao Wenlong, a chairman of the conglomerate Wanzheng Group, welcomed their first child in 2010, the same year they tied the knot. In the past 13 years, the couple gave birth to eight more children, including a set of twins.

Tian, who works as a general manager in the same company, wanted to stop having more children after their fourth baby in 2016. However, she realized that having more kids made their home livelier and that she did not want to “waste” her husband’s genes.

About the Chinese zodiacs: The Chinese zodiac refers to the 12 animals, notably the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, which determine the Lunar New Year of which a person is born. Each of the animals represents a year in the Chinese 12-year cycle, and when all of those animals have their turn, the cycle will then repeat from the top, which is the rat.

Some people, notably those from China, Singapore, Taiwan or other countries that follow the Chinese zodiac, believe different personalities correspond with different zodiac signs, along with compatibilities between the signs.

Beijing’s stance: The Chinese government scrapped its rule of imposing fines on families who exceed the allowed number of children in an announcement in July 2021. The fine was part of China’s strict one-child policy, in which families were only allowed to have one child.

Wealth helps: The family is reportedly well-off, with some local news outlets noting that Tian has multiple nannies taking care of their children and doing household chores. She also receives attention from the best postpartum care center in their area to recuperate after each childbirth.

What the future holds: Tian plans to give birth to three more children to fulfill their plan of giving each child a different zodiac sign. In a comment under her Douyin post on Friday, Tian announced that she plans to deliver a baby this year for the Year of the Dragon.

Online reactions: Several Weibo users poked fun at what Tian said about her husband’s genes. One joked under a post, “I don’t see any good genes here.”

Another applauded Tian in their comment, writing, “This woman is great!”

Meanwhile, one user noted how Tian’s family is a “response to the nation’s call to have a third child.”