Another set of nude photographs have gone viral on the Chinese Internet, this time taken at Erhai Lake in southwestern China's Yunnan province. This comes not long after a couple was detained for taking naked photos in the same region.

In the new photos, a naked woman can be seen standing in the water of Erhai Lake, while a man stands in front of her taking pictures. In another photo, the topless woman stands under a tree. The photos have angered locals from the city of Dali in Yunnan, as they say such photos could badly affect the city's image.

The woman was later identified as a photographer and model. She admitted to posing for the photos, explaining that they were simply intended as an artistic creation. The photo shoot took place at 6 a.m. Before beginning, she and her companions cleared the site to avoid causing trouble for locals, the woman claimed. She also explained that the photos posted online were taken secretly and against her will by her driver, China News Service (CNS) reported. The woman added that she was hurt by how the incident unfolded. She has not yet decided whether she will get police involved and take legal action to protect herself.

In May, a man and woman were sentenced to administrative detention for 13 and 15 days respectively for charges of distributing pornography. The sentence was handed down after the couple took naked photos on the streets of Dali and later posted them online.

“Unlike the case in May, there was no deliberate violation [in the most recent case]. But the driver who secretly took the photos and posted them online has violated the victim's personal privacy and should be punished,” Yunnan-based lawyer Sun Wenjie told CNS.