A couple shot a “velfie” of themselves having a quick romp in one of the dressing rooms of Beijing’s flagship Uniqlo store in Sanlitun. The short clip was uploaded onto the interwebs and needless to say, it quickly went viral and set the Chinese virtual world alight.
Because scandalous.
The sex video was leaked onto social media via WeChat (messaging app) and Weibo (China’s Twitter) a few days ago and has since been viewed by millions of people, leaving Internet censors scrambling to take it down.
A bespectacled man, dressed in black from head to toe, is heard telling a naked woman to kiss him as he tapes their steamy session in the mirror. “Call me husband” and “Say we’ll be together” were a few of other phrases he uttered to her ear as piped music played in the background.
Then, towards the end of the video, another female voice over an intercom:
Dear customers, welcome to the Uniqlo store at Sanlitun. There are no fitting rooms on the first floor. Please proceed to the second and third floor if you need to try clothes on.
While it angered the Chinese government, China’s Internet watchdogs, and Chinese fans of the leading Japanese fashion retailer, it also quickly turned the Uniqlo outlet into a tourist attraction.
Memes have also been created and commemorative T-shirts celebrating the Uniqlo encounter could be found on online shopping portals.
https://twitter.com/1001ptsAU/status/621708974509961216
Uniqlo Sanlitun has become selfie heaven! pic.twitter.com/10edFZfoVd
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) July 16, 2015
Dozens of chinese make selfie in front of Uniqlo after the viral smartphone video #sextape in #UNIQLO , in #beijing pic.twitter.com/aNGsSlHcuO
— Fred Dufour (@freddufour_DOP) July 15, 2015
https://twitter.com/1001portails/status/621700362446221313
Some Internet users even questioned whether the video was a form of commercial hypemasterminded by Uniqlo, leaving the retailer no choice but to jump in to the rescue.
In a statement released on Wednesday (15th July) morning, Uniqlo said it has reported the indecent content to websites where it appeared “immediately”. “We would like to remind the public to uphold social morality and use our fitting rooms in a correct and proper way. We also firmly deny some online allegations saying the video is our publicity stunt,” Uniqlo said.
Meanwhile, the Beijing police have started an investigation on the sex video.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, too, has condemned the video as “unsocialist” and promised a clampdown on such “vulgar” material on the country’s tightly controlled social media sites. “The viral circulation of the obscene fitting room video on the internet has severely violated socialist core values,” the agency cited an unnamed official as saying.
According to China.com, the couple’s names are Hou Tianxu and Yutian and they are thought to be students at the Business College of Beijing Union University. Hou Tianxu fuelled speculations with his online posts yesterday:
I don’t know whether it was the virus on my phone or my laptop. The video was recorded because my girlfriend and I had to spend some time apart. I hope everyone can give us some private space, let this go and don’t pressurise my girlfriend and I.
Yutian also posted on her account admitting that she was the naked woman in the video.
However, since the messages were posted, both accounts have been deleted.
Sources: The Guardian, Shanghai Daily, CNN, TODAY, People’s Daily Online, Daily Mail.
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