Bootleg Porn DVDs Seized in China

SHANGHAI — Shanghai railway police confiscated over 8,000 pirated porn DVDs Thursday from two men transporting them in boxes labeled "auto parts," according to the Xinhua news agency.

The men confessed to having bought the DVDs in Guangzhou, the capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, with the hopes of cashing in on the forthcoming Chinese New Year, when many people will be in their homes and likely to watch DVDs.

The two men were detained and the DVDs confiscated.

Pornography is banned in China as a form of "spiritual pollution." At the same time, the country is under international pressure to crack down on piracy. Pirated DVDs are currently available throughout Chinese cities for about five yen apiece.