''Ding zui'' () is the Chinese practice of hiring
impostor
An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...
s or body doubles to stand trial and receive punishment in one's place.
The term translates as "substitute criminal," and is reported to be a relatively common practice among China's wealthy elite.
[Geoffrey Sant]
Double Jeopardy:In China, the rich and powerful can hire body doubles to do their prison time for them
Slate magazine, 2 August 2012.
Accusations of ''ding zui'' surfaced in 2012 during the trial of
Gu Kailai. The term "
body double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
" (替身, "body replacement") quickly became popular on Chinese Internet fora, and Chinese authorities attempted to censor related messages.
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References
Deception
Criminal justice
Chinese words and phrases
Crime in China
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