"What's going on?"
567 was pulled from the conference room by Plum Blossom Sword and led to the founder's office of Lingdian Chinese Web.
Inside, two others were already pacing back and forth.
"Wencai, what's the situation? I brought Yang Guang here as well."
Wu Wencai was currently the CEO of Lingdian.
"No news yet, but I'm guessing it's not going to be good."
As soon as he said that, everyone's heart sank.
"I suspect it's related to the recent media coverage of the Internet Author Rich List."
This time, Hou Xiyu spoke up.
"Makes sense."
He nodded. "We've always kept a low profile in online literature, and we've never really crossed over into the traditional literary space. But once that Rich List was published, it caused a huge stir. Although the media praised us for being a rising force that might surpass traditional literature, I think we've finally attracted the government's attention."
"Wu, are you saying that this visit from the National Press and Publication Administration might involve censorship?"
"Yes."
Wu Wencai and Hou Qingchen both nodded. "Any industry that reaches a certain scale is bound to catch the government's eye, and once it does, regulation is inevitable."
"Censorship sounds simple, but for us, it could be catastrophic."
Plum Blossom Sword, real name Lin Jian, also spoke up. "If we don't handle this properly, this round of censorship could spell disaster for Lingdian."
Everyone's hearts sank again.
They'd been in the web literature industry for over a decade, watching it rise from nothing and helping shape its very foundation. If anyone understood online literature, it was them. But who knew what standards the government would use? And with web fiction's low barrier to entry and long-standing lack of oversight, authors had enjoyed far more freedom than their traditional counterparts. If this review were strict, 90% of web novels might not survive.
"Wu, have Huanyue or Lianheng received any notice?"
567, Yang Guang, asked.
"Not sure, probably not."
He shook his head. "Huanyue and Lianheng are old giants. They were founded earlier, they're stronger than us, and their connections run deeper. Even if they did get word, they'd have the resources to handle it."
The four of them continued discussing for another ten minutes before the secretary entered.
"Mr. Wu, the officials from the Administration are here."
"Alright, let's go meet them."
They glanced at one another. "Let's hold off on the discussion for now. We'll see what they want first."
…
"Welcome, welcome to Lingdian, leaders from the Administration."
"Please, this way."
Although all four were worried inside, their hospitality was impeccable as they warmly guided the officials into the Lingdian meeting room.
"I'm the person in charge of Lingdian. These three are Lin Jian, Hou Xiyu, and our editor-in-chief, Yang Guang."
While making tea, he introduced each one.
"No need for formality. We're just here to get a better understanding of the situation at Lingdian."
Leading the group were two middle-aged officials in their forties, named Ji Chun and Li Rong, both deputy directors of the Internet Publishing Office at the Press and Publication Administration. Li Rong looked particularly stern, not saying a word since entering Lingdian, his face stiff the whole time. Ji Chun, by contrast, seemed more approachable and was the first to speak.
"These are a few recommendation documents issued by the Administration regarding online literature. Please take a look."
As he spoke, Ji Chun handed over several sheets of paper to Wu Wencai.
Everyone took a copy and began reading.
It looked fine at first glance, but the more they read, the colder they felt inside.
They exchanged glances, all seeing deep concern in each other's eyes.
Still, no matter how dissatisfied they were, they couldn't lash out in front of government officials.
After a brief pause, he frowned and said, "Director Ji, Director Li, don't you think this set of recommendations is a bit too harsh? If we follow these guidelines to the letter, I'm afraid over half of our novels at Lingdian will have to be deleted. Isn't that…"
Before he could finish, the stern-faced Director Li finally spoke, letting out a cold laugh.
"Do you mean to say that the books on your site don't deserve to be deleted?"
"Director Li, what do you mean by that?"
Everyone turned toward Li Rong.
"Don't play dumb."
Li Rong snorted again. "I've read your novels. To be honest, I'm very disappointed. Forget the childish writing and immature ideas, even the values are seriously problematic. Take those so-called fantasy novels, where the protagonist casually wipes out entire families, way too violent. And historical fiction? Instead of proper, respectful depictions of history, we get all these time-travel stories. And fine, maybe time-travel counts as creative, but what are these authors doing once they travel back? Changing history? That's pure nonsense. History isn't something to be distorted for fun."
"Then there are the urban novels. Nearly every one of them is filled with obscenity. Even if it's not explicit on the surface, somewhere in the middle, there's bound to be some lewd scene designed just to bait readers. How can you not delete novels like that?"
"Director Li, you're looking at this too one-sidedly."
He shook his head. "Yes, web fiction has its flaws, but it's not as bad as you're suggesting. As for explicit content, there's no way we allow novels that are explicit from start to finish. In fact, we've always been self-monitoring and removing anything that crosses the line."
"Self-monitoring, huh. Please. What good is it for you to police yourselves? I think it's better if we do the checking for you."
"Er…"
The mood in the room grew heavier with every word.
At that moment, Lin Jian stepped forward.
"We're not saying we won't accept feedback. But with all due respect, this guidance document is too strict. The internet is, by nature, a more open platform. To be honest, if you applied these same standards to print publishing, most physical books wouldn't pass either."
"You're wrong there."
Li Rong shook his head again. "The internet may be more open, but openness doesn't mean lawlessness. If everyone is free to do as they please online, then I'm sure you all understand the consequences. And as for your claim that these standards are harsher than for traditional publishing, I don't think stricter management is a bad thing at all."
"Oh, and by the way, before we came, we compiled a list of novels with serious ideological problems. Here, take a look. I'd like to hear what you think of these."
He pulled out another document from his bag, listing over a hundred online novels.
1: 'Rivers and Mountains of Beauty' - explicit content
2: 'Passionate Girl' - explicit content
3: 'Underworld Chronicles' - criminal themes, violence, subversive content
4: …
5: …
78: 'Peak of Martial Dao' - problematic values, extreme ideology
88: 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' - problematic values, criminal themes, violence, subversive content
89: …
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