A deeply disturbing case in China has triggered national outrage after it was revealed that a 26-year-old woman sold both of her biological sons to finance her obsession with tipping livestream hosts.
The woman, surnamed Huang, originally from Guangxi province in southern China, has only a primary school education and reportedly endured a difficult upbringing as an adopted child. Neglected by her adoptive parents and lacking educational opportunities, she left home at a young age and later relocated to Fuzhou in Fujian province, where she survived by doing odd jobs.
In October 2020, Huang gave birth to her first son. Faced with financial difficulties and without a partner to help raise the child, she made the shocking decision to sell the baby. Her landlord, identified by the surname Wei, became aware of her plan and introduced her to a relative, surnamed Li, whose son was infertile and seeking a child. The infant was sold to Li’s family for 45,000 yuan (approximately US$6,300).
Instead of using the money for living expenses or long-term needs, Huang spent the entire amount tipping livestreamers online.
When the funds ran out, she took even more drastic steps. Determined to repeat the process, she actively sought sexual partners with the specific intent of becoming pregnant again — solely to sell another child. In 2022, she gave birth to a second boy, named Guyu, and sold him to a broker for 38,000 yuan (about US$5,300). The broker later resold the child for a significantly higher price: 103,000 yuan (US$14,000). Once again, Huang squandered the money on virtual gifts for streamers and luxury goods.
Authorities were alerted to the situation on April 13, 2022, after someone reported Huang for suspected fraudulent activity. A subsequent police investigation uncovered chat messages on her phone that confirmed she had been actively involved in the sale of both children. Law enforcement quickly intervened and rescued both boys, placing them in the care of local child welfare agencies while they await permanent adoption.
On July 8, 2022, the Fuzhou Jin’an District People’s Court handed down its verdict. Huang was sentenced to five years and two months in prison for human trafficking and fraud and was ordered to pay a fine of 30,000 yuan (approximately US$4,000). Her landlord Wei received a seven-month sentence, while Li was given a nine-month prison term, suspended for one year, for purchasing a trafficked child.
The case has reignited discussions about human trafficking in China — a problem with deep historical roots. For decades, illegal child adoption, particularly of boys, has been driven by traditional beliefs in the importance of male heirs for carrying on family lineage and status. Families, often complicit, have long played roles in facilitating black-market adoptions.
Reported by China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the case has sparked widespread condemnation on social media. One user wrote, “Is this even real news from the human world? Only five years for abandoning two children? That is way too lenient.” Another expressed outrage: “She is a monster and is not fit to be a mother,” while a third commented, “No sympathy. She should be sentenced to 30 years to reflect on her crimes properly.”
The shocking revelations have stirred debate over the need for stricter enforcement and harsher penalties for child trafficking, as well as better social support systems for vulnerable women and children. — The Star
