Crackdown on Adult Web Novel Authors
"Inconsistent Enforcement Standards" Backlash
China has launched a large-scale crackdown on adult web novel writers, arresting dozens and sentencing some to prison, the US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on the 23rd (local time), citing Singapore's Chinese media Lianhe Zaobao and Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily.
This move by Chinese authorities began in June. Dozens of writers of adult web novels across the country were arrested, with some receiving heavy fines and others sentenced to imprisonment.
In particular, mainland Chinese writers who posted on Taiwan's adult web novel platform "Haitang Wenhua Online Literature City" (海棠文化線上文學城) became targets. More than 50 were detained by Anhui Province police; one famous writer was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison, while another received 1 year and 5 months imprisonment with a 2-year suspended sentence. These cases are relatively lighter punishments as the writers actively paid fines. In cases where fines were not properly paid, heavier sentences such as 5 years and 6 months imprisonment were imposed.
The exact charges against the recently arrested writers have not been disclosed, but RFA reported that most are presumed to be "distributing obscene writings online." Adult web novels, which mainly contain erotic content, have become targets of censorship. According to the 2010 interpretation of related laws by China's Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate, fines for distributing obscene materials online are set at 1 to 5 times the illegal profits. To cover these fines, some writers have even conducted fundraising activities on Weibo.
The industry has expressed frustration over the inconsistent enforcement standards. One writer complained, "We don't know what we can write and what we cannot. What was previously allowed can suddenly become prohibited at any time."
Some writers avoid government crackdowns by working exclusively on overseas platforms. A writer named "Sswe-su," who has been writing web novels since high school, told RFA in an interview, "For years, my works were deleted without notice due to ongoing censorship. To avoid this, I now only work on overseas platforms."
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