Company fined ¥1 million for dressing Sora Aoi in red scarf

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A Shanghai-based company selling male sex products has been hit with a whopping 1 million yuan fine after dressing up an iconic Japanese AV star in a red scarf symbolic of the blood spilled by China’s revolutionary martyrs.

The porn star was Sora Aoi, known as perhaps the most famous Japanese person in China for guiding a generation of Chinese men into adulthood. The scarf was one that is associated with the Young Pioneers of China, a patriotic youth organization for kids between the ages of 6 and 14 that is run by the Communist Youth League. The color of the scarves is meant to represent the blood of those who fought to establish the People’s Republic of China and is supposed to be worn with reverence.

Sora Aoi wore the scarf in late July at a school in Yunnan province’s Dehong prefecture at a charity event that was hosted by Baizhentang, a male sex product distributor that is based in Pudong. She was there as an “ambassador” at the event, which was aimed at raising money for impoverished children in rural Yunnan.

After watching promotional videos from the event shared by the company, many Chinese netizens felt that a retired Japanese porn star donning the scarf was somewhat less than reverent and voiced their outrage online. The Communist Youth League itself even condemned Baizhentang’s actions as a “publicity stunt” which had stained the reputation of the league and of the Youth Pioneers.

In response to this backlash, Baizhentang released a statement on Weibo, formally apologizing for its “improper” use of the red scarf and for “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people.”

However, saying sorry apparently wasn’t enough as the company was fined 1 million yuan ($145,000) today by Pudong’s market supervision bureau for violating China’s advertising law, according to Shine.

Though she retired from the adult video business in 2011, Sora Aoi’s popularity has not waned in China, making frequents visits to the country for events over the years. The Chinese government was even forced to crack down on her appearances and ban her from being shown on television.

Earlier this year, Aoi shattered millions of hearts by announcing that she had gotten hitched.

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