But what makes them real families is the fact that for every six children there is a "mother" and a "father".

The 60 children in the orphanage, aged between two and 14, are all excited at the prospect of their new families.

"I am now the happiest kid in the world, with papa and mama and five brothers and sisters," said a little boy, who had just moved into his new family in Sunshine Village, an orphanage in this capital of Anhui Province, east China.

Mother plays an irreplaceable role in family life. The "mothers" in the Sunshine Village are ten laid-off workers, who, having excelled in a competition with dozens of candidates, received systematic training before they moved into the orphanage, each bringing her husband.

Fifty-year-old Zhang Zefang, a laid-off worker, is now the happy mother of seven children -- her biological daughter and six orphans.

"Food and clothing alone cannot heal the wounds in their young hearts," Zhang told Xinhua, "They need family love more than anything else."

Zhang Ying, a former laid-off worker, quit a well-paid job in order to work for the orphanage.

"I love kids, and it's been my dream for years to offer love and care to those in need," said Zhang.

"We aim to create a sound environment for the children, which should resemble real family life as much as possible," said a source at the orphanage.

The family-simulation practice has been affirmed by many experts, who have expressed the belief that family life will help the orphans and foundlings grow up in a healthier way, both physically and mentally, and will enable them to adapt more easily to society in the future.

(People’s Daily December 11, 2001)