Jewellery shop claims it was defamed in popular TV show
A Shanghai jewellery shop that featured in a popular television series alleges it was defamed in one of the episodes, but says it is prepared to negotiate a resolution to the dispute rather than go to court.
Hot Ladies is a Chinese version of the US television hit Sex and the City. Broadcast on a Shanghai satellite channel, its popularity has rocketed it to top-ranking position in the prime-time slot.
The series, produced by Beijing-based China International TV Corporation, shows the life and loves of four single, working women who live together in the same apartment and share the common goal of trying to find a good husband.
In one episode, the Shanghai Chenghuang Jewellery Shop was displayed during a scene showing character Wan Ling persuading a wealthy woman to buy a diamond ring worth US$18,000. Wan, who is not a shop employee, later receives US$3,600 in commission from the shop.
Yang Jie, a Chenghuang executive, said such practices did exist, but not at her store.
Since the episode aired this month, the shop has been swamped with calls from residents asking if it paid such illegal commissions to boost sales.
'We thought the show could help promote our business, but never expected the outcome would be just the opposite,' said Ms Yang yesterday.
'We are considering a lawsuit, but are ready to settle it through negotiation. We think that the issue will soon be closed.'
The firm wants an apology, but Ms Yang did not say if it was also seeking financial compensation.
The producers of the series said they had not intended to present Chenghuang in a bad light and had not expected the audience to see the scene as reflecting reality.
Wu Ailian, 23, a company secretary and keen fan of the programme, said the series was popular with people in their 20s and 30s who faced some of the same problems as the characters.
'It is not so realistic, in that most unmarried women in Shanghai live with their families. But it reflects the lives of a proportion of the population, wealthier white-collar people. Many young women in Shanghai are seeking husbands.'
She said the series was accurate in one respect - women are strong and men are weak, characteristics easily recognisable in Shanghai.
