The Chinese government is in need of sperm. Yes, according to the New York Times, China is putting out the call to its male citizens to do a service to their country by making donations to sperm banks, which are facing a critical shortage now that China is allowing families to have more than one child.
The campaign is apparently targeting young men on social media with patriotic advertisements featuring video game characters asking them to help fight "the country's aging problem" by donating. They're also offering up to $1,000, but the real prize might be a rose gold iPhone, because if there's anything that China loves more than unauthorized Tupac biopics or Anta sneakers, it's a gold iPhone. Cult of Mac reported in April that demand for gold and rose gold-colored iPhones was off the charts in China, where people bought the not-so-popular iPhone SE just for the stylish color.
Those are some pretty enticing offers, considering that here in the United States sperm donors can expect to make about $70 per deposit after going through the rigorous screening process, according to an FAQ on the Seattle Sperm Bank's website (that's $50 up front and another $20 when it meets the bank's "quality standards").
The Times reports that it's probably going to be tough to convince Chinese men to donate, iPhone or not. Apparently, in Chinese culture, having a lot of semen is seen as important to a man's health, which is why men there are reluctant to spare any.
Hopefully, if this does lead to a baby boom, they'll keep a better eye on those kids than this guy did.
