A sperm bank will be established at Shanghai's Renji Hospital this year, the first one in China, Dr. Wu Yulun. revealed Friday,

Preparations for the bank are in full swing and it is expected to start functioning within this year, he said.

The bank will be responsible for all sperm donations and artificial inseminations in the city, and is expected to help end non-standard artificial insemination practices.

Statistics shows that one out of every ten young Shanghai couples are infertile, and at least 30 percent of these are capable of having children through artificial insemination.

Dr. Wu said his hospital has seen several thousand infertile couples in recent years, but performed only about 100 artificial inseminations due to a limited amount of sperm.

Since Shanghai Renji Hospital opened a sperm website in December 1998, it has received applications from more than 200 volunteer donors, most of them college graduates.

Medical experts here note that the artificial insemination market in China is not standardized because the government has not yet adopted a law on the practice.

Zhu Deming, president of Shanghai Renji Hospital, said he will deliver a petition in this regard to the upcoming session of the National People's Congress.