A new luxury hospital for new mothers will open in Shanghai's Putuo district during the Christmas Season.

Shanghai Youth Daily reports the hospital will provide the same services as a five-star hotel with a first-class nursing service. Facilities will include a golf course, tennis court, swimming pool and yoga gym. The hospital will also run classes to teach new mothers how to care for their babies and keep their figures trim.

All the services at the facility come with a sky-high price tag attached. The luxury president's suites will charge a hefty 9,880 yuan (US$ 1,263) a day, while normal suites will cost more than 1,300 yuan (US$ 166) per day. The newspaper estimates a woman would spend thousands of yuan at the hospital by the end of her postpartum period.

Wang Yiliang, one of the hospital managers, says many rooms have already been booked by local residents and people come from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, who are currently living in Shanghai.

But the newspaper conducted a random street survey which suggested most locals consider the hospital a luxury rather than a necessity.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2007 is the Year of the Golden Pig. It's traditionally considered one of the most auspicious years to give birth.

(CRI December 15, 2006)