The potentially hazardous sex drug 'poppers' are freely available on the mainland's biggest internet shop, despite being banned in many countries worldwide.
Around 2,000 pages on taobao.com advertise bottles of poppers with brand names such as Manscent, Colt Fuel, Blue Boy and Jungle Juice, for prices starting at less than 10 yuan (HK$11.20).
The group of chemicals - often known as amyl nitrite, one of the most common forms of poppers - are a party drug which causes a temporary mental rush when inhaled. They are most notoriously used as a sex enhancer by gays and, less commonly, heterosexuals.
Abuse of the chemicals has been linked to strokes, heart attacks and the increased chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. If drunk rather than inhaled, the results can be fatal.
Amyl nitrite is part of a group of solvents - collectively known as alkyl nitrites - which were banned for sale as an inhalant in most Western countries due to health concerns almost 20 years ago. However, they are regularly sold over the internet as 'video head cleaning fluid', 'room aromas' or 'polish remover'.
The sale of alkyl nitrites does not appear to have been prohibited on the mainland, where their use as a recreational drug is not widely known.
Li Xianhui, director of the detection department of the Ministry of Public Security's Narcotics Control Bureau, warned in June that the number of drug users on the mainland was on the rise because of the widespread use of synthetic drugs such as amphetamines and Ecstasy.
