A couple from Jiangsu province has given birth to 10 children in 21 years because they didn't know how to use birth control, the Beijing Times reported on Monday.

Liu Xiangming, a 58-year-old resident of Pizhou, left his hometown 18 years ago for Suzhou, which is 500 kilometers away.

He and his wife lived in the suburban area of Suzhou and made their living by collecting garbage.

Both the government of Suzhou and Pizhou didn't know about the couple's 10 children until their seventh child, 5 years old, accidentally drowned in a pool on May 26 drawing media attention.

Liu said they didn't know about birth control methods until after their eighth child was born, when they spent 400 yuan ($64) for an intrauterine contraceptive device. However, the device became invalid, and the couple had another two baby girls.

According to the Pizhou government, they may face a fine up to 500,000 yuan for disobeying the country's family planning policy. But the fine can be reduced or delayed in consideration of their poverty.

Local government said making sure the family, especially the children, can be taken care of is more important.