You know how sometimes people will joke around and say things like, “I’d give an arm and a leg” for something? Well, what about a vital organ… like a kidney? According to China’s Shenzhen TV and the Telegraph, a 17-year-old teenager named Zheng sold his kidney, so he could buy an iPad 2 after seeing an ad offering cash for organs. In the reports, Zheng was quoted as saying: “I wanted to buy an iPad 2 but could not afford it. A broker contacted me on the Internet and said he could help me sell one kidney for 20,000 yuan.”
Zheng was able to negotiate another 2,000 CNY from the organ broker for a total of 22,000 Chinese Yuan ($3,340 USD). In addition to an iPad 2, Zheng also picked up an Apple MacBook and an iPhone.
As odd and shocking as trading a kidney for an iPad 2 might seem to Westerners, selling organs is actually pretty common in China. It has even created a niche in tourism. People frequently come to China on “vacation” as “Transplant Tourists” and pay upwards of $100k for organs such as kidneys.
What about you? Would you ever give up an organ for a gadget? If so, what organ would you sell first?
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Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
As the old saying in China goes，”The body of mine is my precious heritage of my parents”…
I love this picture. Intrigues interest in the story, and it was a great article too – I had no idea people did that in China. Interesting.