February 1, 2018 a worker trimming the skin imperfections of a silicone doll at a factory of EXDOLL, a firm based in the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian. With China facing a massive gender gap and a greying population, a company wants to hook up lonely men and retirees with a new kind of companion: "Smart" sex dolls that can talk, play music and turn on dishwashers. (Photo by Fred DUFOUR / AFP) / TO GO WITH China-sex-lifestyle, FOCUS by Joanna CHIU (Photo by FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images)