A Chinese couple with seven daughters allegedly bought a baby boy to carry on their family name.
The couple from south China’s Guangdong province paid 92,000 yuan (£10,700) for the "abducted" child, a court heard.
Tens of thousands of children go missing in China every year, and many are victims of huge trafficking rings that operate in the country.
Poor communities often have a traditional preference for male offspring, who can provide support to their elderly parents and carry on the family name.
Women join their husband’s family tree after they marry, even after death.
The husband and wife who are standing trial claim they were repeatedly assured by the people who introduced the child to them that he had not been trafficked.
They say they had met a woman who claimed to be the child’s mother.
Children help their parents harvest beans in a village July 24, 2005 in Guyuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China.
Children help their parents harvest beans in a village July 24, 2005 in Guyuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China. Credit: Getty
However, one of the traffickers told the court that the woman was her niece, who was unrelated to the child.
An “adoption agreement” was signed and money for the child’s “living expenses” before the “adoption” was handed over.
The husband, who is called Chen, said he bought the child to carry on his family name, a report by Meizhou Radio and Television said.
"I have seven daughters, and the oldest is 18 and the youngest is two,” said Mr Chen.
“We prefer boys in my hometown, and that is why we wanted to adopt a boy.”
The couple are among eight people who are facing child trafficking charges.
Chinese media Caixin said that nearly half of all cases of children who are sold in China involve the consent of their own family, including parents who often sell their daughters for cash.
Most of the trafficked children in China are boys aged under six who are often sold for adoption, while youngsters aged between 14 and 18 are commonly girls, suggesting that they are being sold into prostitution, Caixin said.
Additional reporting by Christine Wei