Applemania has been sweeping through China over the past one year. Faced with a shortage of sperm donors, Chinese sperm banks have decided to catch on this craze by having a new marketing ploy: The are advertising iPhones in exchange for donations. According to a report by Shanghaiist.com, a sperm bank associated with Shanghai’s Renji Hospital is now offering eligible donors a rose gold iPhone 6s for sperm donation. The hospital’s website features several images of iPhones with things like “no need to sell your kidneys, easily have a 6s” underneath. In order to be eligible for this ‘exchange’, the candidates need to have a Chinese identity card, no genetic diseases, a college degree, and must be 5-feet-4-inches tall (165 centimeters). Those who pass these eligibility criteria will undergo a full health examination by Rejin Hospital, worth around 1,000 RMB. This test will establish the fertility status of the candidates. Those who pass the test will be given 6,000 RMB ($940) for a 17ml sperm sample. Then the men have to commit to donating 17ml of their semen within a period of six months or less before getting the full amount. Though there is no word yet on how many people have signed up for this offer, this unique strategy for sperm donations seems to be catching on in China. Similarly, Hubei Human Sperm Bank is offering $785, according to China Daily. This comes just days after it was reported that two Chinese men tried to sell their kidneys in exchange for money to buy an iPhone. China has strict rules governing sperm banks. There are 18 authorised in the country, and inspection on samples can take up to 10 months before each can be cleared for use. According to a 2014 report, the going rate for samples at the country’s latest bank in Guangxi was between 3,000 yuan (US$471.42) and 4,000 yuan (US$628.57).
