Great expectations

"They are happy with my pregnancy. They live in another city and come to see me frequently. They are really kind people. I am pleased to carry their child."

Commercial surrogacy remains a sensitive topic, and occupies a gray legal area in China. At the same time, recent years have seen a rise in the apparent demand for surrogacy services. "The rate of infertility among Chinese couples is reportedly between 7 and 10 percent," says Lu Jinfeng, founder of AA69, an online surrogacy agency.

The idea of the surrogacy website sprang to Lu's mind in 2003. One of his wife's schoolmates had an abortion that left her infertile. This condition complicated her marriage, and her husband eventually left her.

Lu found that many women experienced similar marital problems because of infertility. "A childless family is incomplete and has no hope," he says. "I wanted to build a platform to help those miserable women and families."

Calls were few and far between in the first year after Lu launched the website in 2004. But in recent years, he says, demand has started to grow. He says the company receives an average of 50 inquiries per month, from across the country. Some 15 percent of their clients live overseas.

In order to minimize the risk of potential conflicts or confusion, the company applies strict principles in accepting clients. They do not receive clients without identification; they do not receive fertile women; and they do not receive single clients. Lu explains that some fertile women come to him because they fear labor pains or frustrating body changes after pregnancy, while other women approach him because they have decided to shun marriage yet still want to have a child. In both cases, he declines to accept the women as clients, as he considers "neither to be good for children's benefit".