
China boss gets 4 years, 9 months jail for production, sale of ‘obscene' undressable dolls
A toy factory owner in China and 12 of his workers have stoked controversy after being convicted of 'selling obscene items'.
Advertisement
The boss and staff concerned were handed sentences of up to four years and nine months in prison for producing and selling the animation character models.
It marks the first time that animation models have been classified as obscene items in a criminal case.
Xu, the owner of a plastic manufacturing factory in Guangdong province, southern China, hired several workers to produce the models and sold them on the online shopping platform Taobao.
Taobao is owned by the Alibaba Group, which also owns South China Morning Post.
The dolls feature removable lingerie which exposed 'simplified' sensitive areas. Photo: Weibo
The figure which landed Xu in hot water is a character called Lancer from Fate/Grand Order, a Japanese mobile game.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong exhibition opens to mark fifth anniversary of national security law
An exhibition commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law has opened in Hong Kong, featuring video footage and images from three major social movements, with city officials urging residents to remain vigilant against threats. At the opening ceremony of the government-organised event on Thursday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung noted that as of June 1, 326 people had been arrested under relevant national security laws, including the legislation required under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, which was enacted in March last year. According to Tang, residents should stay vigilant against four major risks, which still exist despite the stability brought by the laws, including external forces that attempt to smear and sanction, exiled individuals who promoted 'Hong Kong independence', local terrorism and soft resistance. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam (left) and Secretary for Security Chris Tang. Photo: Elson Li During the same occasion, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok called on Hongkongers not to forget the history, ignore the reality, or stay aloof when national security threats emerge. 'National security risks are often not easily visible to the naked eye, but the facts are clear: hostile countries and forces are attempting to continuously suppress our country's development,' Lam said, pointing to 'a certain country' which attempted to interfere in Hong Kong's national security cases through illegal sanctions and levies. The entrance to the three-month thematic exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History is decorated with a so-called 'time tunnel' installation that showcases videos and pictures documenting destructive acts during the 2014 illegal Occupy Central movement, 2016 Mong Kok riot and 2019 anti-government protest. Chinese slogan 'not to forget, but yet to finish' was printed on the entrance wall before residents entered the second part of the exhibition, which featured the city's approach to unplugging the national security loopholes by enacting the Beijing-imposed national security law.


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Singapore jails South Korean flight attendant who filmed colleague in hotel room toilet
An airline chief cabin attendant who placed a camera to record his female subordinate in her hotel room toilet in Singapore was handed four weeks' jail on Wednesday. Advertisement The 37-year-old South Korean man was the supervisor of the victim, who was a cabin attendant working for the same airline. The man pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism. All details that could lead to the victim's identification, including the name of the airline, cannot be revealed due to a court-imposed gag order. The accused and the victim were part of the cabin crew on duty on a flight to Singapore, which landed in the city state in the early hours of April 27, 2025. They were given accommodation at a hotel in East Coast. Advertisement Upon reaching her room, the victim checked the toilet and found nothing amiss. She placed a pouch and face towel on the countertop beside the toilet sink.


South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police chief vows vigilance against lingering national security threats
Hong Kong's police chief has pledged vigilance against lingering threats of external interference, home-grown terrorism and 'soft resistance', five years after the Beijing-imposed national security law was promulgated. Advertisement Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said that while Hong Kong had returned to a state of stability in recent years, 'undercurrents' remained that required the force to boost its intelligence-gathering and law enforcement efforts. 'Now we are talking about how to advance from stability to prosperity … there is no room for complacency. There are still undercurrents that we have to be vigilant at all times,' he said in an interview marking the coming fifth anniversary of the law's implementation. The legislation was promulgated on June 30, 2020, and outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The police chief said the United States was among several Western governments that still sought to use Hong Kong as a means of 'targeting' mainland China. Advertisement 'For example, by enforcing so-called sanctions against Hong Kong and mainland government officials, or by threatening to close our Economic and Trade Offices, also the cancellation of preferential trade treatment,' he said.