China prohibits and destroys 110 novels

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Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features:
- Most Collected: Vast in scale, unmatched in completeness both domestically and internationally.
- Least Censored: Every word and sentence remains unchanged, preserving the original essence of the works. Even when minor modifications are necessary—compared to existing similar books—they are the least altered versions.
- Best Editions: For works already available domestically, the best versions are selected; for those not yet available, they are meticulously imported from abroad or Taiwan, filling gaps in the literary canon.
- Concise Introductions: Each book in the series includes an introduction explaining the edition, reasons for its censure, summarizing its content, and providing appropriate critiques. These introductions are highly condensed, serving as navigation in the sea of books.
- Great Value: This series provides invaluable materials for the study of Chinese literary and cultural history, possessing significant literary worth, alongside substantial reading value, making it an excellent gift for those who appreciate refined culture.
The Features of the Censored Classics Library:
- Frequently Censored, Rare Masterpieces, Unheard-of Works, First Time Published.
Due to the stringent control over culture by feudal rulers, censored novels—which deal with human liberation, freedom, oppose oppression, and depict sexuality—were deemed intolerable by the feudal regime enforcing censorship. The ruling class consistently suppressed ideas deemed unfavorable to the government, practicing cultural control by banning and destroying books, leading to the frequent censure of some works of exceptional value. Official bans resulted in some novels being suppressed upon publication and secretly hidden, surviving in hardship and obscurity. Among these censored novels, those mentioned here are rarer than ordinary censored works—hard to find across centuries—and are priceless treasures from both reading and collecting perspectives.
The Complete Collection Contains 113 Rare and Exceptional Censored Novels from Around the World, All Masterpieces of Their Kind. These works were hidden for centuries but were rescued over years by hundreds of scholars before being fully and extensively published for the first time.
The Themes of the Works:
- Buddhist, Taoist, Medical, and Health Practices, Using Indirect Means to Warn Against Extravagance, with Timeless Value.
Most of these novels involve passionate themes, such as young girls experiencing first love, secret affairs, homoerotic encounters, or lesbian relationships. At first glance, they may seem indecent, but upon careful reading, the original intent of the authors becomes clear—they aimed to advise moderation, not indulgence; to warn against debauchery, not glorify it. These novels often touch on Buddhist, Taoist, medical, and philosophical teachings, including (health preservation methods), (sexual techniques), (beauty-preserving elixirs), and (life-auspicious pills), encompassing a vast array of knowledge and secrets. The Dutch scholar Robert van Gulik’s The Art of Chinese Love was compiled and published based on censored novels of this kind.
The Narratives:
- With Every Stroke, the World’s Fickle Nature is Depicted; the Lives of the Common Folk Across Three Teachings and Nine Classes Are Unveiled.
- Tears Frozen in Thought Describe the Warmth and Cold of Human Relationships; Endless Stories of Men and Women’s Lives Are Told.
The 113 works in this collection were censored either due to excessive depictions of sexuality or political reasons. After years of careful (compilation and restoration) by experts, they are now being fully published domestically for the first time. They are extraordinary, novel, secretive, and (alluring)—a feast for the eyes. Complete, refined, detailed, and intriguing—truly unprecedented!