A government crackdown that began with Internet porn has now extended to conventional publishing, with Chinese publishers mounting a campaign to stop publishing porn and non-pornographic erotica alike, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
"China has lately seen some publications of erotic contents and vulgar taste," said the China Publishing Group during a national publishing conference cited by the news agency, noting some publications “glorify one-night stands, cheating on spouses, and other living attitudes and manners that go against moral standards.”
The CPG issued a statement calling on all Chinese publishers to observe “relevant” publishing laws and create “more wholesome publications.” That call, Xinhua said, got support from the Publishers Association of China, the China Periodicals Association, the China Editors Association, the China Audio and Video Association, and the Industrial Association of Distribution.
Xinhua said some publishers “produce obscene books and audio” and porn videos presented as “academic studies or sex education,” while others, according to comment from the publishing conference, “entice” audiences by way of vulgar titles, abstracts, and advertisements.
"The bad phenomenon has aroused strong dissatisfaction of general readers and all social circles and has been condemned by all Chinese publishers with social responsibility," said the CPG statement.
The Chinese porn crackdown began with operations that yielded over 200 arrests and closed over 700 Websites earlier this summer.
