Are you ready to have children? Many young Chinese couples nowadays might hesitate before answering this question. They consider not only their desire to become parents but also the size of their income.

"It's no longer a question of whether we want to have child but if we can afford it," said 27-year-old mother Liu Xiaojuan, echoing the view of many couples.

Liu and her husband both work with a large foreign company in Guangzhou and planned to wait for five years before having children. What bothered them was the 400,000 yuan (US$48,192) in bank loans for their newly bought apartment.

The couple expected to have children after paying off their loans in five or six years.

But early last year Liu's unexpected pregnancy changed their plan.

"I know that, once we take the first step, we have to pay a lot of bills in the following 20 years," Liu joked about her motherhood.

Yet having children is more costly than Liu and many other mothers expected.

The long and costly journey starts even before the child is born.

Over the nine months of pregnancy, the average expense for mothers-to-be is about 5,000 yuan (US$602), which covers regular antenatal examinations, food, clothes and hospital fees, according to a report in the Hainan-based magazine New Century Newsweek.

In some cases, the cost is more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,409).

After her son was born, Liu did not hire a babysitter. Instead, her mother helped her take care of the boy during the day.

Liu's son is only one year old but he is already a major expense. His monthly bills - covering food, everyday items and medical care - generally come to 1,500 yuan (US$180).

"Raising a child is now becoming an important part of our family budget," said Liu.

Liu's experience is now quite common among Chinese parents in big cities.

According to a recent survey by the China Mainland Marketing Research Company, spending on children takes up a large part of the family budget of most urban families, and parents are willing to spend lavishly on their only child.

The survey was conducted among families with children aged 12 and under from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an.

The average Chinese family in big cities now spends more money on its single child than on the parents and grandparents combined.

In most cases, over half of a family's monthly earnings go toward raising the little one.

Children in these cities cost parents 3.5 billion yuan (US$436 million) per month to feed, clothe, school and generally keep happy. Those in Beijing are the biggest wallet-breakers at 1.4 billion yuan (US$175 million) per month or an average of 1,009 yuan (US$122) a month for each child in the city.

Xie Qing, a 35-year-old manager in an export company in Beijing, said: "Though my six-year-old son has no idea of money, his life is closely connected with money."

Like many Chinese parents, Xie sends his son to a well-known nursery school, where the child can grow up in a "better environment." Every year, Xie has to pay about 15,000 yuan (US$1,807).

Even those who send their children to ordinary nursery schools have to spend 500 to 600 yuan on their children every month.

As the children grow up, the money parents spend on them increases.

School fees form a major part of the expense. To educate children aged between seven and 19 costs about 1,000 yuan (US$120) every month on average, according to New Century Newsweek.

In Shanghai, primary-school tuition fee is 310 yuan (US$37) per term. This rises to 380 yuan (US$45) for junior middle school, while senior middle school costs between 950 yuan (US$114) and 1,350 yuan (US$162).

Parents who send their children to a private school pay double or triple these amounts.

Hiring tutors has become popular in many Chinese families. About half of the families interviewed by New Century Newsweek have hired tutors for their children. Tutors' fees ranged from 150 yuan to 500 yuan (US$60).

Of course, families with a high-school student who is facing university entrance exams will have higher bills to pay. In addition to hiring tutors, they spend a lot on reference books or educational software.

Furthermore, today's Chinese parents pin a lot of hope on their children and are willing to pay for extracurricular activities, including music and dance lessons and sports.

Forty-year-old Xu Baoyu, who works in a Beijing research institute, spends a lot of time and money on raising a "well-rounded" child.

Every Saturday, she accompanies her seven-year-old daughter Fu Lin to piano class. The fee of 500 yuan (US$60) each month is something of a burden for the family but Xu insists that it is all worth it as far as her child's future was concerned.

The New Century Newsweek report also showed that children's travel expenses form an important part of the family budget, coming to around 500 yuan a year for the children of those interviewed.

Last year, 15-year-old Zhang Zhen was admitted to a key high school. As a reward, his parents bought him a trip to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, at a total cost of 5,000 yuan (US$602).

During the holidays, many parents like to travel with their children.

Traditionally, Chinese parents regard it as their responsibility to pay for their children to go to university. Again, they have to save enough money.

The survey showed that an increasing number of children are sent abroad for schooling each year, with tuition costs being as high as 150,000 yuan (US$18,750).

To most families, the cost is beyond their financial means. If the children choose to study in a Chinese university, a family would spend 40,000 to 50,000 yuan on four years of study.

Not until children graduate from university do parents reach the destination of the long child-rearing journey.

Are you ready for the expense?

(China Daily November 29, 2001)