( CNN ) Like many Chinese , Beijing bank clerk Zhou Keran shudders when asked if he would donate his organs should he die . `` I would never . There 's an old saying that our parents give us everything -- from our bodies to our hair -- and we have to show obedience to our family . '' China said on Thursday it would end the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners on January 1 and while the move has been welcomed by human rights groups , it 's hard to see how China can wean itself from the controversial practice if the views of people like Zhou are anything to go by . Traditional beliefs regard the body as sacred and it should remain intact after death . What 's more , even if people are prepared to donate , there are fears that their body parts may be traded for profit and end up on the black market . Thus making a quick switch from organs supplied by death row inmates to a system based on altruism will be tough without a major shift in attitudes -- something the head of China 's transplant system acknowledges . `` People have concerns about whether the organs will be allocated in a fair , open and just way , '' Huang Jiefu , director of the China Organ Donation and Transplant Committee said , according to state media . Low donation rate . China has one of the world 's lowest rates of organ transplants , with 10,000 procedures each year . The country launched a voluntary donation scheme in 2010 but between that year and 2013 only 1,448 people donated organs -- a drop in the ocean compared with around 300,000 people in need of organ transplants each year . And just 0.6 people out of every million citizens have signed up to donate their organs when they die . To plug the shortfall , China has relied overwhelmingly on organs from death row prisoners . Technically , their organs can only be used under certain conditions , such as if no one collects the body , the inmate gives consent or their family agrees to the medical use of the body . However , observers both in and outside China have questioned whether prisoners have the free will to give their consent and say it 's become an unwritten policy that prisoners ' organs can be used to ease the shortage . Even with the new rules , it 's likely that death-row inmates will still supply organs for transplants . Huang said that prisoners will still be qualified to donate , but their organs will be registered in a computerized donation system instead of being traded privately , according to official English-language newspaper China Daily . Skepticism . Phelim Kine , deputy director , Asia Division , Human Rights Watch in New York , says he 's `` extremely skeptical '' about whether China can really end its reliance on prisoners ' organs in the foreseeable future . The opacity of China 's prison and death penalty system , the massive profits in organ peddling and corruption make it `` near impossible , '' he says . `` Many Chinese citizens would be unconvinced about voluntarily signing away their organs , even for altruistic ( reasons ) . '' Such fears are not unfounded , given the flourishing underground trade in organs and even corpses . Last month , local officials in southern China were found to have bought and sold dead bodies to fulfill cremation quotas in a `` body snatching '' scandal across two provinces . And earlier this year , authorities jailed a 12-member gang that recruited donors online and smuggled their kidneys by disguising them as seafood shipments . There are tentative signs that attitudes are beginning to change . Since the beginning of the year , 1,500 people have donated organs -- more than the total between 2010 and 2013 . The government has set up a website to make it easier to become a donor but it 's still something that few young people are willing to discuss with their families . Surveys have suggested that financial incentives , including payment of funeral and medical bills might help . Liu Teng , a 24-year old audio engineer from Beijing , says it 's something he might consider . `` I want to help those in need and I feel like it would be a continuation of my life , '' he says . CNN 's Serena Dong in Beijing contributed to the report .
China says it will end organ transplants from executed prisoners from January 1 . Traditional beliefs discourage organ donation in China and rates are very low . Donors are also put off by fears their organs may end up traded for profit . Cultural beliefs make it difficult to end the reliance on convicts ' organs .