Bob shows off his collection of doll outfits. Photo: Li Hao/GT

An alternative lifestyle

Wu Xingliang told the Global Times that most doll lovers are aged between 22 and 45 years old.

Now as many young people's ideas about parenthood change, they don't take the responsibility of carrying on the family line as seriously as previous generations. "I've many customers who purchase dolls to raise them as daughters. There are also people buying dolls as wives," he said.

Founded in 2009, Wu's company has already made millions of yuan from selling dolls. Their products are priced between 9,980 yuan to 23,800 yuan.

Players can choose Lolita-style dolls whose height is 145 centimeters and adult ones whose height is 168 centimeters and above. It takes three months to make a doll.

"We designed our dolls based on the preferences of Chinese men," he said. The dolls they sell all have delicate countenances: big eyes, white skin, small lips and slim bodies.

For those who can't afford top-of-the-line Exdoll products, a search on baidu.com returns many other companies which provide similar products at cheaper prices. And many of them explicitly advertise on their front page that the plastic toys are for "sexual fulfillment."

In an interview with thepaper.cn, a Beijing local named Zhang Fan (pseudonym) said that in the past, people's idea about sex was that it is "degrading pleasure, enhancing birth abilities," but now, he enjoys "satisfying sexual needs, downplaying fertility roles."

Zhang named his doll "Liu Ying" after his secret lover. He felt that as women's status has improved in society, the traditional model of gender roles is broken. As he gets older, he says he has found that love is attached to materialistic conditions: houses, money, children and education. He said these things are a burden to him.

According to Li, most doll are bought to meet "sexual needs." "Many doll enthusiasts I know are middle-aged and elderly people," he said.

"Many men can't find a proper date, it's understandable for them to purchase dolls for sexual fulfillment. This is better than seeking prostitutes," he said.

In China, the gender ratio is 105.02 men to every 100 women in 2015, according to the National Statistics Bureau. The figure suggests that more than 30 million men may be short of a wife.

On bbs.exdoll.com, a forum where doll players share their experiences, the discussions range from how to pick dolls, selecting their clothes to their sexual experiences with dolls.

A user named bestrick said on the forum that his doll's vagina is too small and he can only insert half of his penis into it. He urged the company to "enhance user experiences."

But Bob said he doesn't like to have sex with dolls. For him, dressing up the dolls and taking them out for street photography is enough to satisfy him.

"Life isn't all about sex. What matters is to have someone accompanying you," he said.