China Ends Service That Lets You Pay People to Get Drunk For You
By Carl Samson
January 11, 2018
Just two weeks after launching a service that lets users find people to drink alcohol for them, a Chinese company decided to cease operations over regulation concerns.
Founded in 2011, eDaijia, based in Beijing, introduced eDaihe, which means “to drink on behalf of,” on Dec. 28, 2017. The service allows users to find surrogate drinkers based on location and drinking capacity as well as their personal introduction.
According to the company, more than 100,000 people signed up to become surrogate drinkers in the first 24 hours.
The service was reportedly set in time for China’s long holiday season.
“Most people who drink are social animals, so we thought why don’t we launch a surrogate drinking service to help them make friends,” company spokesman He Dongpeng told the South China Morning Post.
The fact that drinking has long been considered a vital social skill in China affirmed eDaihe’s value. Refusing a drink, for instance, can be considered disrespectful and cost one his/her career.
This is why surrogate drinkers must be shocked when the service disappeared on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
“The service is not in line with the core socialist values. It doesn’t have enough positive energy. We will be punished [by the authorities] if we get more media attention,” He Dongpeng told the outlet in another article.