Maternity leave lasts 98 days; maternity benefits are paid by the maternity insurance fund based on the employer’s average monthly wage from the prior year

Cost: There is no cost to you. Your employer handles all the paperwork — you don’t need to do anything.
In plain terms: You’re entitled to at least 98 days of maternity leave, including up to 15 days you can take before the birth. If the delivery is difficult, you get an extra 15 days. For each additional child born, you receive another 15 days of leave. The money paid during this time is called maternity benefits and comes from the maternity insurance fund. If your employer hasn’t enrolled in this insurance, they must pay the benefits themselves.
Benefit: The length of maternity leave is set by the State Council: “Female employees are entitled to 98 days of maternity leave, including 15 days before delivery; an extra 15 days are added for difficult deliveries; for each additional child born, an additional 15 days of leave are granted.” The payments received during this period are known as maternity benefits. For employees covered by maternity insurance, these benefits are paid by the insurance fund at the rate of the employer’s average monthly wage from the prior year. Employees not covered by insurance receive benefits from their employer at the same wage level they earned before taking leave.
Evidence grade: A
Notes: 98 days is the minimum standard mandated by the state. Most provincial regulations on family planning add at least 60 days of additional “reward leave” for childbirth, bringing the total to at least 158 days in most regions. The party responsible for paying wages during this reward leave varies by province.
Sources:国务院 (2012). 女职工劳动保护特别规定（国令第 619 号，第七条、第八条）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2012-05/07/content_6584.htm