A college professor in Beijing who had an unlawful second child was first penalized by his employer for violating China's family planning law and later fired after refusing to pay the population authority a fine of over 240,000 yuan (US$37,560), according to yesterday's Southern Weekend magazine.

China's family planning law.[File photo]

The unemployed Beijing academic even offered to sell himself as a slave to cover the fine and living costs, and to highlight his criticism of the one-child policy.

The story of Yang Zhizhu, a former associate professor at the China Youth University for Political Sciences, has aroused debate among population experts and the public after he lost his appeal against Beijing population authority imposing "such a high penalty," as he put it.

The 240,642 yuan is calculated as nine times a Beijing resident's average income in 2009 - the law allows fines of between three and 10 times the average.

Yang claimed the fine was an act of revenge against him because he has publicly criticized the one-child policy and its occasionally illegal manipulation by officials.

Yang even offered to sell himself to raise money for the fine and living costs for his two daughters, one born in 2006 and one in 2009.

Yang said he would be a slave to anyone who paid him 640,000 yuan. There were no takers, but his protest created public concern and triggered a new round of debate about the strict limits on couples eligible for a second child.

According to China's Population and Family Planning Law, the fine, which is called a social fostering fee - compensation for the unlawful child's extra use of public resources - is set by each province and municipality.

In Shanghai, both the husband and wife having an unlawful second child should pay three times the average income of the previous year, and if the actual income is higher than this level, the fine is calculated using the real income. The measure is considered prejudicial to wealthy people.

Some critics claimed Yang's second child was a deliberate ploy to challenge China's population policy. However, Yang said it was an unexpected pregnancy and he simply wanted to keep the child because he loves her.