The graduate student in southern China wrote the romance novel in her spare time, self-publishing it online. In 75 chapters, it followed two male protagonists through a love affair that included, at times, steamy sexual encounters. It earned her less than $400, from readers who paid to access it.
Now, it could bring her a criminal conviction.
Across China, authorities have been interrogating dozens of writers — many of them young women — who published gay erotic novels online, in what appears to be the largest police roundup of its kind to date.
At least 12 such authors were tried on obscenity charges in Anhui province late last year, according to court records, and more investigations, including that of the student, were opened in Gansu province this past spring. Some of the writers have been fined heavily or sentenced to years in prison for producing and distributing obscene content.
At the centre of the crackdown is Boys’ Love, a genre of romance between men that is mostly written and read online, and mostly by heterosexual women.
It has developed a fervent niche following in China, offering fans an alternative to the stereotypes of passive, obedient women.
New York TImes News Service