Translated from 墨香铜臭传获刑三年，耽改IP的好日子到头了吗
Translator’s note: The Paper (Chinese: 澎湃新闻; lit. ‘Surging News’) is a Chinese digital newspaper owned and run by the state-owned Shanghai United Media Group.
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Reportedly Sentenced to Three Years — Is This the End of the Golden Era for Danmei Adaptations?
Source: Studio Entertainment DreamWorks via The Paper Official Account
Date: November 16, 2020 | Location: Shanghai
Author: Xu Bing
After two years of swirling rumors, the truth behind Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s alleged imprisonment has finally come to light.
On November 10, China Judgments Online(a government website: https://wenshu.court.gov.cn/ -Translator’s note) released a criminal verdict titled “Yang Yang, Yuan Yimei — First Instance Verdict on Illegal Business Operations”, confirming widespread speculation that popular Jinjiang(Jinjiang Literature City is one of China’s largest online publishing platforms. – Translator’s note) author Yuan Yimei (pen name: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu) was convicted and imprisoned for illegal business operations.
Although the verdict has been issued, the full document is not publicly available. The reason cited: “Circumstances deemed unsuitable for public disclosure on the internet” by the court.
According to Article 363 of China’s Criminal Law:
Crime of producing, reproducing, publishing, selling, or disseminating obscene materials for profit: Those who do so with the intent of making a profit may be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison, detention, or surveillance, and fined. In severe cases, the sentence ranges from 3 to 10 years, and in extremely severe cases, over 10 years or even life imprisonment, along with fines or asset confiscation.
Though the full verdict remains sealed, sources revealed Mo Xiang Tong Xiu was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 400,000 yuan(~55,684 usd - Translator’s note), with a release date set for May 2022.
Back in March 2019, rumors began circulating online that Mo Xiang Tong Xiu had been criminally detained for “illegal publishing and tax evasion.”
By August, netizens discovered that the National Office Against Pornography and Illegal Publications（“扫黄打非”工作小组） had reported on August 14, 2019, a major case in Zhejiang dubbed the “3.28 Case” involving the production and sale of obscene materials. The case implicated a Jinjiang-signed author surnamed Yuan (widely believed to be Mo Xiang Tong Xiu), who allegedly collaborated with Taobao sellers to print and sell over 4,000 copies of two categories of obscene books, profiting over 500,000 yuan.
Rumors like “Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has been detained” and “Jinjiang provided evidence that led to her arrest” began spreading rapidly.
In response, Jinjiang Literature City issued a statement denying the rumors as defamatory and asserting they had never been asked by authorities to assist in any investigation. They emphasized they had neither actively nor passively provided any evidence or clues. Notably, however, Jinjiang did not deny whether Mo Xiang Tong Xiu had been involved in printing and distributing obscene materials—leaving room for speculation.
With the announcement on the judgment site, the rumors have been settled. Now, attention has shifted to the impact on her works and their adaptations in film and animation—especially with the massive success of danmei-based series like Guardian and The Untamed. In 2020 alone, 59 danmei adaptation rights were reportedly sold. The question is: what now?
Will Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s Imprisonment Impact Her IPs?
Opening Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s profile on Jinjiang today, one sees a red banner:
“In seclusion. Please don’t over-speculate or worry.”
Though a link to The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) remains, clicking it leads to a takedown notice. All remaining links also lead to removed content.
Her last updated work, Heaven Official’s Blessing, was finalized on June 20, 2018. Of the three works in her column (Mo Dao Zu Shi, Heaven Official’s Blessing, The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System), only Heaven Official’s Blessing is not locked.
This supports previous speculation that her imprisonment may have been triggered by the publication and distribution of Mo Dao Zu Shi and Scum Villain.
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is not the first danmei author to be jailed for printing novels. In 2018, danmei author Liu Yuanyuan (pen name: Tianyi) was sentenced to 10 years for selling 7,000 copies of her self-published work Conquer, profiting 150,000 yuan(20,881 usd - translator). In 2019, another danmei author, Mr. Deepsea, was sentenced to 4 years for illegal business operations.
As an author, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is highly controversial. She enjoys massive popularity within danmei fandoms, but also draws intense criticism. Detractors accuse her of bringing toxic fan behavior (doxxing, fan wars, traffic obsession) into what had been a quieter niche. There were even reports of fans doxxing rival authors, forcing them to physically relocate due to harassment.
Allegations against her include: plagiarism, idea theft, excessive self-promotion, encouraging fans to mass-report competitors, and creating online flame wars—the so-called “Seven Deadly Sins” critics list.
However, her work has found massive commercial success. Mo Dao Zu Shi was central to Tencent Video’s adaptation pipeline. Its TV adaptation, The Untamed, catapulted Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo to stardom. The animated version of Mo Dao Zu Shi is still in production (Released in 2018 - Translator’s note).
Meanwhile, Heaven Official’s Blessing recently aired as an anime. Its initial Douban score hit 9.8 before dipping to 9.2 amidst ongoing debates about the quality and adaptation of her work.
Despite polarized reviews, the numbers speak volumes: Heaven Official’s Blessing hit over 60 million views with 4 million followers after just 4 episodes. It’s also streaming globally on Netflix. Even news of the author’s imprisonment hasn’t affected the show’s promotional schedule.
Still, insiders remain concerned: Will her imprisonment damage the long-term viability of these heavily invested IPs?
Is the Danmei Adaptation Boom Coming to an End?
After the explosive success of several danmei dramas, adapting danmei IPs has become an industry norm. Spin-offs in film and animation abound. That young male actors have leveraged these roles into overnight fame, has become an open secret in the entertainment world.
According to Funji, an entertainment industry data firm, over 50 danmei adaptation rights were sold in 2020 alone. The market is so hot that some fans joke it feels like “Danmei 101.”
In 2015, the show Addicted made stars out of Huang Jingyu and Xu Weizhou. Despite its small budget (5 million yuan) and eventual takedown, its huge online success drew attention to its leads.
Following Addicted, dozens of danmei series were greenlit, though most ended in failure—until 2018’s Guardian launched Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu into stardom. Then in 2019, The Untamed brought Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo to the A-list. Once a niche genre, danmei has become a mainstream force. The model—using danmei dramas to build star power and fan bases—has not gone unnoticed by investors.
It can be said that danmei IPs have always occupied a special niche: they come with built-in traffic and highly loyal fanbases, and compared to mainstream big-budget male or female lead dramas, low-cost danmei adaptations often generate better viewership and more easily convert book fans into actor fans. For the younger generation or lesser-known male actors, starring in a danmei drama has become a quicker way to gain visibility, attract fans, and win the favor of capital.
Although danmei adaptations with built-in fan traffic are highly sought-after in both the entertainment and actor markets, the risks have been increasing year by year. Due to Chinese regulatory restrictions, current danmei IPs all adopt the “brotherhood” angle, with some even introducing original female characters through gender-swapping—sparking backlash from book fans. Furthermore, the heavy censorship and rewriting of plots often strip the stories of their essence, resulting in disjointed narratives, which has become a common criticism of danmei adaptations. Most end up being mere stepping stones for young male actors to gain fans, with little to show in terms of actual quality.
Meanwhile, neighboring countries like Japan, South Korea, and Thailand have all begun producing male-male danmei dramas to attract fans. Unlike China’s “brotherhood” approach, overseas storylines are more open and explicit, drawing away a portion of the Chinese danmei audience’s attention.
Since the breakout success of Japan’s Ossan’s Love, BL-themed content has surged, including titles like Cherry Magic, Life: Love on the Line, The Reason He Fell in Love with Me, Restart After Come Back Home, The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, and previous hits like Ossan’s Love: In the Sky, Blue Mood Indigo, and Pornographer. Ossan’s Love even propelled previously low-profile actor Kei Tanaka into stardom.
Thailand also saw a boom in same-sex series in 2020, with titles such as I Told Sunset About You, A Tale of Thousand Stars, and Love By Chance 2, turning actors with only a few thousand fans into overnight sensations with millions of followers.
Despite the differences in approach at home and abroad, danmei IP adaptations have become a kind of magic formula for actors to quickly gain fans. Starring in a danmei drama often serves as a shortcut to fame, leveraging the attention and traffic to land bigger roles afterward.
However, this fast-track to success may be nearing its end. The imprisonment of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu sends a signal that casts growing uncertainty over the future value of danmei IPs. Whether this moment marks a critical turning point remains to be seen.