The Telegraph reported that between February and early July, the Chinese government arrested at least 30 writers in a campaign to suppress the publishing of gay teenage adult novels online.
These authors are mostly in their 20s and 30s, creating boyloaf comics about same-sex couples. This genre is supported by a group of readers because they are interested in reading about same-sex relationships (called Huyshan).
The novel's content is diverse, in which some books have 18+ elements, and the characters can even become pregnant and give birth.
China's regulations classify documents with more than 5,000 views as criminal dissemination, while profits over 34,500 USD can be earned and sentenced to life in prison.
Among those recently arrested was a high school student who earned $400 from a 75- chapter novel. Her lawyer told The New York Times: "The police asked her during the questioning: 'Do you know that writing this book could violate the law?'. She replied that she didn't know until the police contacted her."
Another person summoned in May also expressed shock: "I never thought there would be a day when I was slapped in the face because of everything I wrote in the past."
The art form of art developed from Japanese manga origin in the 1990s, and became a major cultural force in China, with the copyright to adapt some works sold for millions of USD.
However, the government has seen the story as a conflict with efforts to boost the declining birth rate in China.
To avoid being banned from access, these authors have published their works on Haitang Literature City, a platform originating from Taiwan (China), popular with suspense and porography.
At the end of 2024, 50 other authors whose works were archived on this website were prosecuted for the crime of producing and distributing propaganda materials.
