Chinese reach out to quake orphans

The high interest is another sign of China's tremendous post-quake outpouring of sympathy, buoyed by rising prosperity. And it is a surprising turnaround in a country in which government red-tape, poverty and traditional attitudes combined to discourage adoption.

The new enthusiasm also means that foreigners wanting to adopt may not have a chance. Officials estimate that the number of Chinese wanting to adopt the earthquake orphans may outnumber the children themselves.

"Every day, my ministry receives hundreds of calls," China's Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Jiang Li said. At the Civil Affairs department in Sichuan province, calls reached 2,000 a day, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.