Front Page of the Day

1,900-yuan fine for downloading porn at home

huashanbao.jpg
Chinese Business View
September 19, 2008

Today’s Chinese Business View reported that a man in Nanyang, Henan Province was fined 1,900 yuan for downloading pornography from the Internet.

Ren Chaoqi is the 28-year-old owner of an auto parts store. On August 18, two police officers paid Ren a visit and took his computer away. Days later Ren received a 1,900 yuan ticket, the offence being that a 30 minute-long porn video was found on his computer.

Ren admitted that he downloaded the video from the Internet last year, but he thought 1,900 yuan was far too much to pay for such a petty crime. He is contesting the fine and said he would have accepted a 500 yuan fine. According Chinese law, it is illegal to "use the Internet to create, copy, retrieve, or disseminate feudal superstition, obscene or pornographic material, gambling, violence, murder, horror, or incitement to commit a crime."

In other news, the State Council passed a set of modifications to the Labour and Contract Law, which took effect on January 1, 2008.

The law originally stipulated that employees who had worked more than ten years for an employer can sign open-ended contracts, a possibility hated by many employers, who believed the provision makes them lose leverage during negotiations with their senior employees.

Yesterday's modifications clarified the term of those open-ended contracts, pointing out that they are not lifelong contracts, and an employee on an open-ended contract can still be fired under a certain conditions.

The modifications listed fourteen conditions under which an employer can terminate a labor contract, including "incompetence, serious violations of regulations, and dereliction of duty."

Other news items on the front page:

  • Trying to restore investors' confidence, Chinese government scrapped the 0.1% stamp tax on stock transactions;
  • Melamine has been detected in packaged milk produced by Yili, Mengniu, and Guangming, the largest three domestic dairy producers.
Links and Sources
There are currently 9 Comments for 1,900-yuan fine for downloading porn at home.

Comments on 1,900-yuan fine for downloading porn at home

"According Chinese law, it is illegal to "use the Internet to create, copy, retrieve, or disseminate feudal superstition, obscene or pornographic material, gambling, violence, murder, terrorism, or incitement to commit a crime."

The problem with this as was in the famous "People vs. Larry Flynt" in the States is that one man's definition of "obscene" is another man's soft-core.

Too bad there is no such way for Ren "Spanky" Zhiqi to defend himself.

As the comedian Lewis CK says, "These things that us men have dangling between our legs should come with meter to a warn us of the dangers of a high PSI level. If you don't do something to release the pressure every once in a while that your picture may end up in the newspaper." Ironic that he probably prevented the beating of a disgruntled auto-parts customer but by doing so he ended up in the dailies.

They should really yank (pun intended) this law from the books and beat it (likewise intended).

I got 120GB porn stuff in my hard drive should I sell my kidney??

/me quickly password protects THAT hidden folder

"terrorism" should be "scary"

[Thanks. --JM]

Man with those fines I'd be bankrupt.

/me quickly password protects THAT hidden folder
---------------
nah you dont need that, just name the folder "technically", "Sound Driver" is an good example.

What I am most curious about is how and why did the police decide to seize and search his computer? Had they been monitoring his Internet connection? Did someone report him to the police?

because he was short of 1900yuan to pay his last month's hooker bill.

would love to make cute/witty quip, but see already that many other people have beat me to the punch.

however, it is interesting that *horror* is also one of the items mentioned in the law.

either way, I agree, that kind of fine is just silly. ultimately, as Avenue Q reminds us, many, many people use the internet for porn. "The internet is for porn."

Post a comment

All comments are moderated and subject to review by Danwei contributors and editors, but well-grounded and articulate comments will be published regardless of which way they lean. Because comments published on any website ultimately contribute to the character of that website, we may decline to publish comments that are irrelevant, redundant, or that do not adhere to generally accepted standards of courtesy; if you are looking for a fight, there are plenty of other venues available online.


Some useful html: <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>,
<a href="http://www.danwei.org">link</a>

Media Partners
Visit these sites for the latest China news
090609guardian2.png 090609CNN3.png
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
laomo2008fpA.jpg
Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
AXL091030storiesforthcoming.jpg
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine - 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ The 'national' in National Day (2006.10): Xiao Feng writes about China's national flavor, national curse, national bird, national car, and so forth, Dongfang Yu writes on the true meaning of China's National Day in the age of angry youth.
+ Don't ask so laowai don't have to tell (2008.07): An essay was written by Geremie Barmé, scholar, filmmaker and author of the new book The Forbidden City.
+ Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky rsschiclet2.png (on the mainland)
or Feedburner rsschiclet.gif (blocked in China)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Main feed: Main posts (FB has top links)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Top Links: Links from the top bar
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Jobs: Want ads
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Digest: Updated daily, 19:30