Translated from 联合早报：港媒：多名耽美写手遭兰州警方跨省传唤
Translator’s note: Lianhe Zaobao is one of the largest Singaporean Chinese-language newspapers.
According to reports from Hong Kong media, several online authors in mainland China have recently been summoned across provinces by police in Lanzhou, Gansu, for publishing online novels containing erotic content. Most of these authors are reportedly young women around the age of 20. Multiple lawyers and scholars have publicly questioned the legitimacy of the Lanzhou police’s procedures and have offered legal assistance to those involved.
Based on reports from Ming Pao and Sing Tao Daily on Tuesday (June 3), since late May, nearly 10 internet users have posted on Weibo stating that they had published danmei (male-male romance) works with erotic content on the Taiwanese adult literature website “Haitang Literature City.” Due to earning income from the site’s subscription-based system, they were arrested by Lanzhou police on charges such as “producing and distributing obscene materials for profit.”
Some individuals said they had to gather travel expenses after being summoned by phone to cooperate with investigations in Lanzhou. Others claimed they were forced to strip for inspection and answer personal, invasive questions during interrogation, which they found deeply humiliating. One person lamented that they had only started writing online fiction to support themselves financially, never expecting to face prison and heavy fines. Reports noted that most of those affected are young women around 20 years old.
The incident has sparked another wave of public outcry on the Chinese internet. Many netizens have questioned the legality of the Lanzhou police’s summoning procedures and argued that the penalties are excessively harsh.
According to reports, Chen Bi, Tong Zongjin, Zhao Hong—associate professors at China University of Political Science and Law—as well as Beijing lawyer Jin Hongwei, have all expressed willingness to provide legal assistance to those implicated.
Henan-based lawyer Zhao Yijie was quoted as saying that around 100 lawyers have joined a volunteer support group and that about 150 authors have already sought legal consultation. Zhao emphasized that publishing erotic literature is not a heinous crime and that current sentencing is disproportionately severe.
Tong Zongjin commented that these cases are still being handled under legal standards set 20 to 30 years ago, saying, “It’s time for reform.”
Last year, police in Anhui province also arrested 50 danmei authors publishing on Haitang Literature City, with one individual fined 1.84 million yuan (approximately 256,000 USD), and another sentenced to five and a half years in prison.