Playboy first entered the Chinese market in a 1988 licensing deal with Hong Kong-based Chaifa Group. By the early 1990s, Licenses were divided into subcategories of products and sold to mainland manufacturers. The company claimed roughly 650 stores by 2003. This had grown to 3100 by 2015. The company has attempted to open a club in Shanghai, once in 2004, and again in 2017. In May 2015, Playboy signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Handong United to manufacture and distribute fashion apparel.