Haitang Author Arrest
If you haven't heard, in the past year, the Chinese government has launched an incredibly aggressive literary crackdown. Over 30 danmei authors—mostly women in their 20s—have been arrested, fined, and imprisoned simply for writing and distributing queer fiction online. Many published through Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-based site, to avoid mainland censorship. Some are facing up to five years in prison, with one author fined more than the equivalent of $40,000 USD. One of them, Ci Xi, was sentenced to 66 months behind bars. Another, Yun Jian, got 4.5 years. Some made only a few hundred dollars off their writing. This is not “obscenity” enforcement. This is a targeted, ideological attack on women, on queerness, on fiction, and on creative freedom. This is also an economic attack. Chinese officials have coined it "fishing in distant seas," whereby public security officials from one province or city cross into another to pursue “major cases” (with lucrative outcomes) with no clear jurisdictional authority or public safety imperative. They fine these women extraordinary amounts of money that then go into the pockets of corrupt officials. This is the exploitation of vulnerable groups of people and the authoritarian policing of morality. These women, for publishing mostly unprofitable queer stories, are having their futures DESTROYED and their images decimated. There is a very big community and reputation-centered value system in Chinese culture. Now. Imagine. Even after being released, who is to say these women will have a job or family to go back to?
Obviously, we should care. On a base level because of brutal censorship, but also because most of us are avid consumers of BL. We are part of the same ecosystem these authors are being punished for.
The Chinese state is criminalizing artistic expression because it dares to imagine something freer than the current order. And let’s be honest: this isn’t just happening in China. Across the world, we are watching governments police books, criminalize drag, erase trans people, censor art, and surveil fandom spaces under the guise of “morality.” Queer stories have always been political. So has fanfiction. What we’re witnessing is a war on imagination, especially when that imagination belongs to marginalized people.
And where is the Western media? Failing us. Articles from BBC and the New York Times treat danmei like a strange niche, or worse, frame BL as “problematic,” “pornographic,” or “exploitative." These narratives distract from the real issue: state violence against creators. Instead of standing up for freedom of expression, they’ve defaulted to tone-deaf cultural judgment.
What do we do? I'll be honest, even I'm not sure. I'm scrambling for resources. In China, online efforts at protesting are being erased and censored, as well as legal advice provided on social networking sites. Here are some ways I've thought of that might help.
- Spread awareness. If you have a platform, if you don't have a platform, say something. Let more people know about this. On Tiktok, Instagram, Bluesky, etc etc.
- Groups like PEN America and Chinese Human Rights Defenders are tracking these cases. Support them, donate, or help amplify their work.
- If you know danmei authors writing online today—especially in or near China—check in with them. A lot of lawyers in China are offering pro bono to these women. If you know any of them, offer money, legal assistance if you're qualified.
If I'm missing anything or said anything incorrect, please correct me. But this matters. Artistic liberty and freedom is under attack. Don't look away.
