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The Weibo Homepage of sion from writers, but it does not bear he adds.
Yunjian’s husband. So far any responsibility for offering legal
this account has gotten 2.1 protection to writers,” Ni says. Fang believes writing should be ab-
millions followers. The new- solutely free, and regulations should
est post is about how he went “The online fiction site even lied be applied to the publication and
to Jixi to visit Yunjian in jail. to the writers after the arrests were distribution of written work. “Every
made, claiming it was safe for them to country has its publication regulatory
write on the platform,” Shi sighs. system, like a rating system,” Fang
says.
After the arrest of around 50 gay
erotica writers in June 2024, the fic- “The key is that the regulations
tion website only locked all the writ- should be passed with public consent.
ers’ columns without any financial or The standards and processes of how
legal assistance to their contributors. regulations are applied should be
transparent and open to the public.
Varsity reporter has emailed ques- All matters should be discussed and
tions to Haitang Culture, but no reply solved in a legal framework,” he adds.
has been received before publication.

Edited by Bliss Zhu
“I’m not worried about break- Edited by Bliss Zhu
ing the law because I live and write Sub-edited by Cathleena Zhu
Sub-edited by Cathleena Zhu
The Weibo homepage of abroad. But I have a lot of sympathy
the sister’s account, which for authors who write in the same lan-
has been banned. guage as me in mainland China,” Shi
says.
ica is like working in the grey area in The document of the arrest of Yun Jian. The crime ele-
In early January 2025, a man claim- China. If they pay tax, the police will ment written here is publishing and selling erotic materials.
ing to be Yunjian’s husband posted investigate them,” Shi says.
on social media that his wife was
sentenced to four and a half years in “I think the police in Jixi arrested Hong Kong points out that the arrests too,” Fang says.
prison and thanked readers for their the gay erotica fiction writers because of writers show that censorship is get-
support. the government faces financial prob- ting stronger in China. “These issues might not be related
lems,” she adds. to politics, but the government thinks
The post also highlights a message “Usually, politically sensitive issues they are dangerous, toxic, and influ-
which is believed to be from the writ- “I am not surprised with the sen- are more likely to be censored. But in enced by western values, which might
er: “I will work hard in prison and try tencing of Yunjian. I don’t want to the past decade, censorship of content challenge the country’s future devel-
to get out earlier. By then, I’ll thank say that things are going backward, related to morality has grown stronger opment and solidarity of the nation,”
my readers in person.” but the censorship is indeed getting
tighter and tighter. Of course, I hope These issues might not be related to
Another freelance gay erotica writ- this kind of thing will not happen to
er Shi Xiaoxuan, who also posted her anyone,” Shi says. politics, but the government thinks
works on Haitang, shares Ni’s frustra-
tion and worries. Apart from feeling worried about Yun Jian wrote a letter to they are dangerous, toxic, and influ-
censorship, the two writers also find her husband in jail, saying
“I don’t think writing gay erotica the fiction website, Haitang Culture, “I’ll take care of myself. I enced by western values, which might
fictions is a crime. The only criminal irresponsible for failing to protect miss you all.”
element in these cases may be tax eva- writers who contributed work to the challenge the country’s future develop-
sion. But I can understand why writ- site. ment and solidarity of the nation
ers do not declare information from Professor Fang Kecheng from the
their written work. Writing gay erot- “Haitang Culture takes commis- School of Journalism and Commu-
nication of the Chinese University of