China: Sperm banks entice donors with iPhone cash

Apple products are hugely popular in China and some sperm banks are playing on the brand's appeal

Chinese sperm banks are trying to attract donors by offering men enough cash to buy a brand new iPhone, it's reported.

Renji Hospital in Shanghai is among several facilities using the appeal of Apple's recently announced iPhone 6s in a campaign to encourage more sperm donations, the Changjiang Times reports. "No need to sell your kidneys - you can easily have a 6s," the hospital says in an online posting, referring to cases in which people raised cash to fund their iPhone and iPad purchases by giving away an organ. Underneath several iPhone images, the hospital says if a man passes a full health examination and then makes regular sperm donations, he'll be rewarded with up to 6,000 yuan ($940; £610) - enough to cover the cost of the new handset.

Chinese consumers' love for all things Apple is well-established. The release of an earlier iPhone model was stopped on safety grounds in 2012, after a near-riot outside a Beijing stockist where about 2,000 people had gathered.

Using the appeal of the new product to attract sperm donors has caused much amusement among Chinese social media users. "I don't know whether to take this seriously or not!" one person on the Sina Weibo social network says. "This is great!" says another. "I hope that those who sold their kidneys can see this." And one person writing on the NetEase news portal sees nothing wrong with the initiative, describing the sperm banks' methods as "very creative".

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