A story about a Chinese billionaire's quest to build a massive family dynasty through American surrogacy has ignited a firestorm online. The man at the centre, Xu Bo, founder of the gaming company Duoyi, reportedly has more than 100 US-born children and harbours ambitions of linking his bloodline to that of tech mogul Elon Musk.
The "China's First Father" and His Surrogacy Empire
Xu Bo, a 48-year-old gaming tycoon, has openly declared his goal to sire at least "50 high-quality sons." According to verified social media posts and reports by the Wall Street Journal, his company has claimed he has produced over 100 children via surrogacy agencies in the United States. The scale of his family project became a major topic on Chinese social media after his ex-girlfriend, Tang Jing, alleged in a November 15 post that the true number of children he fathered exceeds 300, with 11 of them raised by her for years.
"That number might even be undercounted, but it's certainly not exaggerated," Tang stated, as reported by the India Times. The former couple is now locked in a bitter custody battle over two shared daughters, with Xu counter-claiming that his ex owes him millions in expenses he covered over the years.
Inspired by Musk and a Dream of a Super Dynasty
Xu Bo's extraordinary mission appears to be inspired by rumours surrounding Elon Musk and his views on population. While Musk has denied claims he offered sperm to friends to build his bloodline, Xu has taken the concept to another level. On the Chinese platform Weibo, he has posted fantasies about his offspring one day marrying Musk's children, aiming to create a sprawling, powerful family dynasty.
A revealing video from 2022, posted by an account linked to Xu, showed dozens of young boys in a mansion. Upon seeing the camera, they leapt up and rushed towards it, shouting "Daddy!" in Chinese. The caption asked, "Imagine a bunch of babies rushing towards you—how does that feel?"
Legal Battles and a Judge's Rejection
The billionaire's plans have faced significant legal hurdles. In the summer of 2023, a California judge handled petitions from Xu seeking parental rights for four unborn children and at least eight others born via surrogates he funded. During the proceedings, Xu told the judge he aimed to father 20 or more U.S.-born sons, whom he considered superior, to eventually take over his business empire.
He admitted to the court that he had not yet met many of the children, who reportedly live in a home in Irvine, California, cared for by nannies, citing a busy work schedule but expressing plans to bring them to China. Ultimately, the judge rejected his petition for parental rights, leaving the unborn children in a legal limbo. This case exposed a shadowy industry of surrogacy companies catering to wealthy Chinese businessmen seeking American-born children.
The story of Xu Bo underscores extreme ambitions surrounding wealth, legacy, and biotechnology, raising complex ethical and legal questions about international surrogacy and the limits of personal dynasty-building.
