Executive Overview
In September 2017, the Chinese tech landscape experienced a brief, highly controversial flash in the pan when a Beijing-based company attempted to introduce the world’s first mainstream "sex doll-sharing" application. Operating under the English moniker "Touch" (owned by the parent company Taqu), the service offered users the opportunity to rent high-end, life-size silicone sex dolls delivered directly to their doorsteps. Marketed under the slogan "Shared girlfriend — your heartwarming companionship," the project aimed to normalize and commercialize adult intimacy for a massive demographic of single men.
However, the futuristic endeavor came to a screeching halt after a mere 48 hours in full operation. Chinese regulatory and public security authorities swiftly stepped in, condemning the initiative as "vulgar," issuing a formal police penalty, and fining the company 2,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $340 USD).
While the fine itself was negligible, the swift crackdown highlighted the rigid boundaries of state-approved morality in contemporary China. It also shone a glaring spotlight on a profound and complex sociological crisis: China’s staggering gender imbalance, driven by decades of the now-defunct one-child policy, and the resulting millions of isolated bachelors seeking companionship by any means necessary. This report explores the meteoric rise and immediate fall of the "Shared Girlfriend" project, the regulatory forces that crushed it, and the broader socioeconomic realities shaping modern Chinese relationships.
Detailed Chronology: 48 Hours to Oblivion
The sequence of events that led to the creation and immediate destruction of the Touch app reads like a dark comedy of modern tech disruption meeting authoritarian governance.
Day Minus-One: The Rollout and the Roster
Leading up to its launch in September 2017, Taqu had already established a digital foothold among roughly 500,000 active users through its diverse suite of sex-positive lifestyle products. Seeking to push the envelope further, the company conceptualized the "Girlfriend Sharing" program.
The service allowed users to log into the Touch app, select from a catalog of five distinct, high-end silicone doll models, and schedule a home delivery for a daily fee of roughly $46 USD. The catalog was designed to cater to diverse fantasies, offering models with specific thematic identities:
- The Greek Bikini Model
- The US Wonder Woman (featuring the iconic superhero motif)
- The Korean Housewife
- The Russian Teenager
- The Hong Kong Car Race Cheerleader
The logistical framework of the service was equally striking. Once a rental period concluded, the dolls were returned to Touch’s facilities. Technicians would remove the lower anatomical components of the silicone figures, thoroughly sterilize them, and return the "girlfriends" to circulation. In an even more modular twist, users were given the option to purchase the lower halves outright while cycling through newly ordered top halves.
Day One: Launch and Digital Buzz
The app went live, instantly generating massive shockwaves across Chinese social media and international news outlets. Promoted heavily via platforms like Weibo, the service was framed by its marketers as a liberating technological leap for lonely individuals.
Promotional materials boasted that the dolls possessed "perfect bodies, are totally submissive and can meet the needs of the single home boy," adding the catchy hook: "With one touch of a key, you are no longer single!"
Day Two: The Hand of the State
The viral sensation quickly attracted the wrong kind of attention. As public discourse heated up—coinciding awkwardly with sensitive political meetings in the capital—regulators took notice. Third-party marketing campaigns were flagged for failing to comply with state decency regulations.
Public security officials contacted Touch management directly, labeling the rental of anatomical silicone dolls as "vulgar" and illegal. Recognizing the precarious position of a publicly listed company operating in a tightly controlled communist state, executive leadership made the rapid decision to pull the plug. The interface was scrubbed from the Touch app, the marketing campaigns were halted, and the "Shared Girlfriend" project was effectively terminated after operating for just two days.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Crisis of Male Singledom
To truly understand why a company would attempt to monetize rented sex dolls, one must examine the profound demographic crisis facing modern China. The nation is currently grappling with a severe gender imbalance, often referred to colloquially as the "bachelor village" phenomenon or the crisis of China’s guanggun ("bare branches").
The Numbers Behind the Imbalance
According to official demographic surveys, China’s population of roughly 1.38 billion people is heavily skewed male. The national sex ratio sits at approximately 1.18 men for every one woman. This statistical discrepancy translates to tens of millions more men than women of marriageable age—a missing demographic deficit running into the millions.
Several historical and cultural factors converged to create this reality:
- The One-Child Policy: Implemented in the late 1970s to curb population growth, the strict policy limited most urban couples to a single child.
- Son Preference: Traditional patriarchal values prioritizing male heirs for lineage preservation and old-age financial security heavily favored sons.
- Selective Practices: The widespread availability of ultrasound technology led to a rise in sex-selective abortions and, historically, higher rates of female infant abandonment.
The Psychological Toll on "Single Home Boys"
The downstream effect of this demographic crunch is an immense population of men who are economically, socially, or geographically disadvantaged in the traditional marriage market. Many young men migrate from rural provinces to hyper-competitive urban centers for work, enduring grueling hours with little social mobility. For these individuals, traditional courtship can feel financially out of reach—often requiring homeownership and significant betrothal gifts (caili) from the prospective groom’s family.
It was precisely this vulnerable, isolated demographic that Taqu sought to target. By offering high-end silicone companions at a fraction of the cost of purchasing one outright (premium dolls can cost thousands of dollars), the company hoped to tap into a multi-billion-dollar market of unmet emotional and physical needs.
Official Statements and Corporate Fallout
The aftermath of the crackdown revealed a fascinating juxtaposition between the company’s progressive ideological ambitions and the pragmatic realities of operating within a conservative political ecosystem.
The Apology and the Pivot
Following the intervention of regulatory agencies, Touch released an official statement via Weibo. Translated by tech outlets such as Gizmodo, the statement struck a tone of conciliatory diplomacy:
"Because our third-party marketing staff failed to comply with related regulations, certain promotion campaigns were suspended by regulatory agencies, considering the widespread controversy, we decided to stop the project. We sincerely apologize for the negative impact caused by the project, especially its negative impact on online discourse at a time of major meetings."
Yet, buried beneath the mandatory bureaucratic apologies were bold, sex-positive declarations that challenged traditional Chinese prudishness. The statement continued:
"Ever since the project began, we’ve used the slogan ‘Shared girlfriend — your heartwarming companionship.’ We hope to introduce expensive silicon sex dolls to the public, in order to provide love and companionship. Sex itself is not vulgar. Making more Chinese people experience the pleasure of sex is still the goal we strive for."
The Police Intervention and the Fine
In an interview with Motherboard, Touch spokesman Zheng Ying detailed the direct consequences enforced by law enforcement. Local police contacted the company, deemed the doll rentals "vulgar," and assessed a formal punishment consisting of a 2,000¥ fine (approximately $340 USD).
While the financial penalty was negligible for a corporate entity, the regulatory warning was crystal clear. "Because our company is a listed company, we must be careful," Zheng explained, confirming the voluntary shutdown of the lease business.
Future Outlook: The Evolution of Intimacy Tech in China
Despite the abrupt termination of the "Shared Girlfriend" initiative, the leadership at Taqu made it clear that their broader mission is far from over. The intersection of technology, intimacy, and commerce in China is entering a new, albeit heavily monitored, phase.
The Survival of the Core App
Zheng Ying confirmed that while the doll-rental service is dead, the overarching Taqu application will continue to operate. The company intends to pivot away from high-profile physical rentals toward alternative methods of normalizing adult wellness and sexual health culture.
"We will find a new way to popularize the sex interest culture," Zheng told Motherboard, emphasizing a core belief held by the company’s founders: "Everyone has the right to talk about sex."
A Cat and Mouse Game with Regulators
The fate of Taqu’s experiment serves as a cautionary tale for the broader sex-tech and adult-entertainment industries in China. While the Chinese market for sex toys and adult wellness products is booming—with China manufacturing a vast percentage of the world’s adult novelties—publicly promoting services that challenge traditional family structures or public decency norms remains a high-risk endeavor.
As long as the underlying demographic crisis persists, the demand for artificial companionship, virtual girlfriends, and adult tech innovations will remain high. However, entrepreneurs in the space have learned a hard lesson: while Chinese society is quietly modernizing its views on intimacy, the state’s red lines regarding public morality and social stability remain absolute. For now, the dream of timeshared, robotic companionship has been shelved, consigned to a brief two-day footnote in the history of modern disruption.
