Zhang Hongqiang is going to prison for 10-and-a-half years, following his conviction for hosting an Adult Web site amidst a major Chinese government crackdown on Internet porn and other "suspicious" activity.
His sentencing court also "removed his political rights" for two years and fined him several thousand dollars, according to reports from the Chinese state-run news media.
A Shangdong Province native, Zhang was said to be a college graduate who rented a server and built and launched his Adult Empire Web site after he couldn't find "a satisfactory job" following his graduation in October 2003. His Internet porn activity was discovered in July, the month the Chinese anti-porn Internet crackdown began in earnest.
Chinese news reports said Zhang also bought some porn discs "from local markets," recorded and copied them, and sold the discs on his site. He's believed to have made over 1,380 such discs and sold over 700 to buyers from 20 Chinese provinces, regions, and municipalities.
