Executive Overview
In September 2017, the Chinese tech and lifestyle market witnessed one of the most bizarre and short-lived commercial experiments of the modern sharing economy era. Taqu—a company operating under the English moniker "Touch"—launched a high-profile "Girlfriend Sharing" service. Promoted as a progressive step toward destigmatizing adult intimacy and providing companionship for China’s massive demographic of single men, the service allowed users to rent high-end, life-sized silicone sex dolls for a daily fee of $46.
The project featured a diverse lineup of customizable models, including personas such as a "Greek bikini model," a "US Wonder Woman," a "Korean housewife," a "Russian teenager," and a "Hong Kong car race cheerleader." Users could have these figures delivered directly to their doorsteps, with the company promising rigorous sanitization protocols that involved replacing and cleaning the "lower parts" of the dolls between rentals.
However, the innovative venture was abruptly halted by Chinese authorities just 48 hours after its full rollout. Prompted by public controversy, regulatory pressure, and direct intervention from local law enforcement, Touch was forced to pull its app interface, issue public apologies, and pay a fine.
While the experiment itself was fleeting, the saga exposed deep-seated societal tensions in China. It highlighted the friction between a booming, hyper-innovative "sharing economy" and a strict, conservative political establishment. Furthermore, it cast a glaring spotlight on a critical underlying demographic crisis: China’s severe gender imbalance, fueled by decades of the now-defunct one-child policy, which has left millions of single men searching for connection in an increasingly isolated society.
Detailed Chronology: The Rise and Fall of the Touch App
The trajectory of Taqu’s "Girlfriend Sharing" initiative moved at breakneck speed, accelerating from a daring marketing stunt to a full-scale regulatory crackdown within a matter of days.
Day Zero to Two: The Rollout and the Backlash
Taqu, a platform boasting over 500,000 active users that catered to China’s evolving sex-positive and wellness markets, decided to push the boundaries of the country’s booming sharing economy. Following the massive success of shared bicycles, shared power banks, and shared umbrellas across urban China, the company applied the sharing-economy model to the adult novelty sector.
Marketing campaigns began circulating heavily on platforms like Weibo, using the slogan: "Shared girlfriend — your heartwarming companionship." The company intended to normalize high-end silicone dolls, making expensive intimacy products accessible to everyday consumers.
For $46 a day, customers could select from an eclectic catalog of five distinct doll types. The logistics involved home delivery and a scheduled pick-up, after which the company claimed the silicone figures underwent a meticulous cleaning process, with modular options allowing users to swap or keep specific components.
The Intervention
Almost immediately, the campaign triggered widespread online controversy. Critics questioned the hygiene, the moral implications, and the messaging of the service. More importantly, the campaign caught the eye of state regulators and law enforcement agencies.
Coming at a sensitive political juncture—just ahead of major Communist Party meetings where social stability and public morality are treated as matters of national security—the project was viewed by authorities as a direct affront to public decency.
Local police swiftly contacted Touch representatives, declaring the service "vulgar" and in direct violation of state regulations. Facing immediate regulatory heat, Touch pulled the plug. Within 48 hours of its official launch, the "Girlfriend Sharing" program was completely dismantled, and its interface was scrubbed from the Touch mobile application.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Mechanics of the Enterprise
To understand why Taqu took such a massive gamble, one must examine the operational model of the enterprise and the staggering demographic realities of modern China.
The Product and Hygiene Protocols
The dolls utilized in the Touch project were not cheap, hollow plastic novelties; they were high-grade, expensive silicone structures designed to mimic human weight, texture, and flexibility.
The modular design of the dolls was a key selling point for the company. Users could order complete figures or customize their experiences. According to company disclosures, after a doll was returned, technicians removed and sanitized the lower portions of the silicon figures before returning them to active service. Alternatively, users could choose to retain the lower half of a doll permanently and order a newly styled upper half for subsequent rentals.
China’s Gender Imbalance Crisis
The underlying market demand that inspired Touch’s marketing strategy is rooted in a profound and unprecedented demographic challenge. Due to a complex combination of traditional cultural preferences for male heirs, selective abortions, and the legacy of China’s strict "one-child" policy (enacted in 1979 and officially phased out in favor of a two-child—and later three-child—policy), the country faces a massive surplus of men.
According to the nation’s official demographic surveys, the national sex ratio stands at approximately 1.18 men for every one woman. Within a total population approaching 1.38 billion people, this statistical imbalance translates to tens of millions of surplus men who are statistically unable to find female partners within the traditional marriage market.
This demographic cohort—frequently referred to in Chinese media as guanggun ("bare branches" or bachelors)—often experiences intense societal pressure to marry and procreate, compounded by profound loneliness. Taqu directly targeted this vulnerable demographic. Promotional materials explicitly pitched the dolls as a technological solution for the "single home boy," utilizing marketing slogans such as: "With one touch of a key, you are no longer single!"
Official Statements and Corporate Fallout
The aftermath of the crackdown saw Touch attempting to walk a delicate tightrope: expressing contrition to state authorities while simultaneously defending its underlying philosophy of sexual liberation and corporate innovation.
The Apology and Conciliatory Tone
In an official statement released via Weibo and translated widely by tech outlets like Gizmodo, Touch adopted a notably submissive and conciliatory stance:
"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."
The statement went on to reaffirm the company’s commitment to state values, adding that Touch would "continue to put corporate social responsibility as a priority while actively exploring healthy and harmonious sexual lifestyle."
The Financial and Penal Reality
In a more direct interview with tech publication Motherboard, Touch spokesperson Zheng Ying confirmed the heavy hand of the state. Zheng revealed that local police had officially cited the company for operating a "vulgar" business model.
The state imposed a financial penalty of 2,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $340 USD)—a modest fine by corporate standards, but a clear warning shot from regulators. Explaining the decision to fold the rental initiative immediately, Zheng noted: "Because our company is a listed company, we must be careful."
Defending the Philosophy of Intimacy
Despite the swift termination of the doll-rental service, Touch made it clear that it had no intention of abandoning the broader conversation surrounding sexual wellness and expression in China.
In its public communications, the company articulated a surprisingly progressive defense of its mission: "Sex itself is not vulgar. Making more Chinese people experience the pleasure of sex is still the goal we strive for."
Zheng reiterated this sentiment to Motherboard, confirming the survival of the broader Taqu platform: "The Taqu app will go on. We will find a new way to popularize the sex interest culture… and we think everyone has [the] right to talk about sex."
Future Outlook: The Intersection of Innovation and Censorship in China
The rapid rise and fall of Taqu’s "Girlfriend Sharing" project serves as a case study in the friction points defining modern Chinese commerce.
The Limits of the Sharing Economy
China’s sharing economy has long been celebrated as a crucible of hyper-fast digital innovation. From bike-sharing behemoths to mobile payment integration, Chinese tech firms have routinely pushed boundaries to monetize everyday inconveniences. However, Taqu’s experiment demonstrated that there is a hard, unyielding ceiling imposed by the Chinese Communist Party when commercial innovation intersects with public morality and social stability.
While apps renting out tangible goods are welcomed, anything perceived as testing the boundaries of public decency, especially in the realm of sex and relationships, invites immediate and decisive state intervention.
The Unsolved Dilemma of Male Loneliness
Even though the silicone dolls have been pulled from circulation, the underlying crisis that prompted their creation remains entirely unresolved. Tens of millions of single men continue to navigate the social pressures of an imbalanced marriage market.
As traditional societal structures evolve, the demand for alternative forms of companionship—whether through digital AI companions, virtual reality, or physical adult products—will inevitably persist. Ventures like Taqu prove that a lucrative, captive market exists for products addressing urban isolation and male singledom.
However, the 2017 crackdown makes one thing abundantly clear: any future attempts to commercialize intimacy in China must navigate not only consumer demand and technological feasibility, but also the unyielding scrutiny of a government determined to police the boundaries of public culture. Until a culturally acceptable paradigm is found, the dream of timeshared, silicon companionship in China will remain firmly locked away.
