There is an extraordinary story behind the photo above. These babies are allegedly the children of one wealthy couple in Guangzhou. The wife had twins and two surrogate mothers each had triplets. Although the story made national headlines in China late last year, the couple has not been identified – with good reason, for gestational surrogacy is illegal there.

However, the "eight baby scandal" has highlighted the increasing popularity of the black market surrogacy in China. This is the lunar year of the Dragon, which is said to be an auspicious year for births, as the mythical being is associated with power and intelligence.

According to a feature in the UK Guardian, the Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Metropolis Weekly estimated last year 25,000 surrogate children have been born in China in the past 30 years. There are more than 100 online surrogacy agencies. In the year of the Dragon, they are very… click here to read whole article and make comments