As the Chinese observe the Qing Ming festival honoring the dead, a man in Jiaxing, near Shanghai, attempted to auction his soul on Taobao, China's top auction website, reports Reuters. He attracted 58 bids from "soul-searching buyers" before the post was pulled. "We reviewed Taobao's policies and realized we had no specific policy on the selling of souls," said Porter Erisman, a spokesman for Taobao's parent, Yahoo-backed Alibaba.com.

"After some discussion, we decided that we will allow the member to sell his soul on Taobao, but only if he can provide written permission from a 'higher authority,'" he said.