A high-profile legal dispute in China has stirred fresh controversy after gaming magnate Xu Bo demanded 300 million yuan (around $42 million) from his former partner, while the woman countered by alleging he has fathered over 300 children, according to South China Morning Post.
Xu, founder of the hugely successful gaming company Duoyi Network, which produced the hit game Fantasy Westward Journey, said the claim stems from a "relationship agreement" from their time together. They had reportedly met on a matchmaking website in 2009 and lived together for 14 years, though they were never legally married.
In retaliation, his former partner, Tang Jing, demanded the full amount, publicly asserting he had fathered more than 300 children, a startling and widely debated claim.
The case has reignited broader social concerns about polygamy, relationship exploitation and "misogyny" in elite circles. Legal experts studying the matter say the dispute could set a precedent for how informal relationships and claims of parentage are handled under Chinese law.
The two lived together for 14 years but were never legally married.
According to SCMP, they are disputing 300 million yuan which Xu claims Tang still owes him.He alleges that between 2012 and 2018, he transferred 819 million yuan (US$115 million) to Tang. Tang returned 515 million yuan, but Xu filed a lawsuit in 2024 for the remaining amount. In response, Tang said the money supported a "big family" of 300 children they planned together. She claimed most funds went toward raising them and revealed the children lack official household registration, sparking public debate and legal scrutiny.
Tang Jing responded to online skepticism by confirming the “300 children” claim, saying the number might even be under-reported. She revealed a court had ruled in her favour, dismissing Xu Bo's 300 million yuan demand. Tang is currently raising 11 children fathered by Xu and is fighting for custody of their two daughters. Duoyi Network, founded by Xu, distanced itself from the controversy, accusing Tang of spreading false information. Xu, already known for promoting misogynistic and polygamous views, once publicly sought multiple partners to father “at least 50 sons” and claimed he had 12 children with different women.
He claimed to be a “one-in-a-million elite male” aiming to raise 50 elite sons, with at least 10 achieving top success. As an employer, he demanded “gratitude red envelopes,” encouraged pay cuts, and charged departing employees for cafeteria meals. His actions sparked outrage online, with netizens accusing him of treating children like experiments. In another high-profile case, tycoon Zhao Bingxian, known as “China's Warren Buffett,” was ordered by a court to give his ex-wife Lu Juan assets worth 536 million yuan (US$75 million).
