A father has sold his daughter to a strange couple for £8,900 so he could give tips to his favorite female hosts on a live-streaming site.
The parent from the Chinese province of Fujian had one son and one daughter, but he claimed that his wife had disappeared and he could no longer afford to raise both children.
He is facing child-trafficking charges after trading the girl in February.
The case was reported today by local newspaper Strait Metropolis Daily.
According to the report, the father, known by his surname Lu, was introduced to the buyers by two middlemen earlier this year.
The purchasing family, known by their surname Chen, live in the city of Fuzhou, which is 110 kilometers away (68 miles) from Mr Lu’s hometown of Putian.
Mr and Mrs Chen suffer from fertility problems and their son died in 2017, therefore they hoped to adopt a child.
The Chen family met Mr Lu for the first time at the beginning of the year in Putian to see the pictures and videos of the girl. They immediately decided to ‘adopt’ her.
In February, Mr and Mrs Chen drove to Putian again to pick up the child. They paid Mr Lu 80,000 yuan (£8,900) in the name of ‘nutrition fees’ and signed an ‘adoption’ contract with the man.
The court said Mr Lu then splurged his newfound fortune on female vloggers who hosted live shows on video platform Kuaishou.
The illegal deal came to light in May when the Chen family tried to apply for an ID for the girl using a fake birth certificate.
The People’s Procurator ate of Jin’an District in Fuzhou have pressed charges against Mr Lu and the others, said the report.
China’s booming live-streaming market is now worth an estimated 13.1 billion yuan (£1.46 billion), according to a recent survey.
Hosts on video sites usually make a living by earning tips from admirers
The authorities have been tightening their control over the fast-growing industry to prevent vloggers from attracting users with seductive clothing and behavior.
In January, the government banned female live-streamers from wearing lingerie and sexy uniforms, as well as see-through, flesh-colored or figure-hugging clothing.
In 2016, live-video websites were ordered not to allow female hosts to give ‘suggestive’ banana-eating performance.
