A woman in southern China who sold eight baby girls after adopting them had been sentenced to 12 years in prison, an official newspaper said today. Zhang Huijiao, a farmer in Guangdong province, made 2960 yuan (8) from the sales, which took place last year, the China Daily said. China is trying to stop a thriving trade in baby girls, who are abducted, abandoned or sold by parents who prefer sons. They are bought by families who want a daughter, a servant or a future bride for a son. The scale of the trade is not clear, but the Justice Ministry says about 10,000 babies were rescued during a three-month-long nationwide crackdown in 2000. Zhang obtained the girls by asking people in Jiedong county in Guangdong to contact her about abandoned babies, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said she sold five girls to local families and the other three in a market. In addition to her prison term, Zhang was fined 3000 yuan, the reports said. In March, police announced the discovery of 28 baby girls aboard a long-distance bus in southern China, apparently being smuggled for sale. The girls were hidden in nylon tote bags. [The Australian]