Ananova:

A Chinese student is selling her own hand in marriage for £15,000 in a bid to save the life of a classmate.

Dan Dan, 22, who studies at a university in Dezhou, Shandong province, made the offer online, reports Guangzhou Daily.

Her friend Zhang Yuemei has been diagnosed with encephalomyelitis, a disease of the brain and spinal cord.

She has no money for the treatment she needs and without which she will deteriorate into a vegetative state.

"Her parents are all farmers, who are unable to afford sky-high surgery fees and follow-up treatment expenses," explained Dan Dan.

She says she will marry any man prepared to donate the equivalent of £15,000 to cover Zhang's medical treatment.

Critics have accused her of using her friend's plight to find a wealthy husband - but she is being supported by the chief surgeon at Jinan Qilu Hospital.