An insider of the American surrogacy industry shares stories about practice banned in China
This story is published as part of TWOC’s new collaboration with Story FM, a renowned storytelling podcast in China. It has been translated from Chinese by TWOC and edited for clarity. The original can be listened to on Story FM’s channel on Himalaya and Apple Podcasts (in Chinese only).
Revelations about actress Zheng Shuang’s American surrogate children and her renouncement of them has set off fierce online discussion concerning surrogacy in recent weeks in China.
In many eyes, surrogacy entails the exploitation of women and cannot be condoned under any circumstances. Others aren’t wholly opposed to surrogacy but primarily take issue with its commercialization. Still others view surrogacy as a free choice, offering a final hope to those women unable to conceive.
An employee in the American surrogacy industry, Bai Guan, shares the stories of the Chinese clients and the American surrogate mothers he has crossed paths with. Bai Guan got his start in a Californian maternity center and discovered the surrogacy industry while helping a friend search for a surrogate mother. He found that commercial surrogacy was legal in many US states, and moreover, that his own state of California was an American surrogacy hub. In addition to sperm and egg donation and in-vitro fertilisation, he mainly helps his Chinese clients connect with surrogacy mothers willing to “donate” their womb.
Founded in 2017 by Kou Aizhe, Story FM is one of the most renowned podcast in China. Each episode focuses on ordinary people’s lives and viewpoints, including the difficulties of marginalized people. Through intimate and private interviews, Story FM digs out first-person experiences and lets listeners immerse themselves in another person’s voice and feelings. You can listen to their podcast in Chinese on Ximalaya, Qingting FM, Apple Podcasts, and the 故事FM mini-app on WeChat.
