BEIJING: A Chinese sperm bank's online advertisement asking technophiles to donate sperm for fulfilling their dream for Apple's latest offering iPhone 6s has gone viral in China.
The online advertisement was made by the sperm bank in central China's Hubei Province after two Chinese men apparently tried to sell their kidney for the latest iPhone.
"No need to sell a kidney...Shanghai sperm bank can make your iPhone 6s dream come true," says the advertisement which has gone viral on China's most popular social networking app WeChat.
Capitalising on the country's lust for new technology, the sperm bank hopes to fix a shortage in donors ahead of the release of the iPhone 6s next week, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Those who qualify to donate can receive up to 6,000 yuan for 17 ml of semen. The latest Apple model is expected to cost around 5,288 yuan.
"Why sell your kidney when you can donate sperm? It's a great deed that can bring happiness to a whole family," said microblog Weibo user "Wojiushiwutong".
The advertisement is titled "New Solution to Get iPhone 6s", evoking some criticism that the sperm bank is being insensitive.
"I don't like the idea of making money out of sperm donation to buy new iPhones. Sperm donation is a very serious cause for public good," one Weibo user said.
But a spokesperson with the Shanghai sperm bank told Xinhua the campaign has worked well so far, raising awareness and attracting potential donors.
While there are tens of thousands of infertile couples in China, all sperm banks across the country face donation shortages because many young men are unaware or too embarrassed to donate, forcing the banks to turn to social media.