China bans 110 novels (Second volume of Scholarly and Beauty · Erotic)

Author: None Available
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-05-01
Features:
- Most Comprehensive: Vast in scale, unmatched both domestically and internationally, with an incomparable level of systematic completeness.
- Minimally Censored: No words or sentences altered, preserving the original essence of the works. Even in cases requiring minor edits compared to existing similar books, this version is among the least revised.
- Superior Editions: For works already available domestically, the best editions are selected; for those not yet published in China, high-cost imports from abroad or Taiwan are sourced, filling gaps in availability.
- Concise Introductions: Each volume in the series includes an introduction: explaining the edition and reasons for censorship, outlining the content, and providing appropriate evaluations. The introductions are highly condensed, serving as navigational aids in the sea of books.
- High Value: This series provides invaluable materials for the study of Chinese fiction history and Chinese cultural history. It holds significant literary value, alongside considerable reading value, truly deserving of being an exquisite gift for the sophisticated.
The Characteristics of the Censored Library Collection:
Frequently Banned, Rare, Unheard of, and Now Published for the First Time. Due to the stringent control of feudal rulers over culture, and because banned novels explore the liberation of humanity and freedom, oppose confinement and oppression, and depict sexual desires, they were deemed intolerable by feudal rulers enforcing censorship policies. These rulers consistently suppressed ideas deemed harmful to the government, practicing cultural control by banning books and destroying editions, leading to the prohibition of some uniquely valuable novels. The suppression by authorities caused some novels to be sealed off immediately after publication, hidden away, and quietly circulated in hardship. Among these banned novels, compared to ordinary censored works, they are exceptionally rare, nearly impossible to find across centuries. Whether for reading or collecting, they are priceless treasures.
The collection includes 113 rare and extraordinary works from around the world, all of them finest examples of censored novels. These works were hidden away for centuries, now rescued and brought to light by hundreds of experts after years of effort—presented here in their complete form for the first time.
The Themes: Buddhist, Daoist, Medical, and Philanthropic Wisdom
Many of these novels involve love and sexuality—whether depicting the thoughts of young women, illicit affairs, same-sex relationships, or lesbianism. At first glance, they may seem indecent, but upon closer reading, the original authors' intentions are revealed: not to advocate debauchery, but to advise moderation, not to encourage sexual excess, but to instruct in propriety, with great care and compassion. These novels often touch on Buddhism, Daoism, medicine, and philosophy, covering (life-preserving methods), (love practices), (beauty-preserving elixirs), and (awakening pills), encompassing a vast array of secrets.
The Dutch scholar Robert van Gulik published his work The Chinese Sexual Life using censored novels as his basis.
"Words Fall Like Rain: Narrating the Cold and Fluctuating World of Men and Women,
Unfolding the Sufferings and Warmth of All Classes,
Describing Endlessly the Love and Lives of Males and Females."
Of the 113 works collected in this series, some were banned due to excessive sexual content, while others faced censorship for political reasons. Now, after years of (compilation) by experts, they are being presented in their complete form for the first time domestically—strange, novel, secretive, and alluring, a feast for the eyes! Comprehensive, refined, detailed, and fascinating, this collection is truly unparalleled in history!