Voidly · Verboten · China
Banned and restricted books in China
57 titles have been banned or restricted in China, recorded across 59 dated, source-cited events, most often for political content.
Top reason
Political content
Stated reasons
- Political content
- 49
- Immorality
- 6
- Sexual content
- 4
- Obscenity
- 2
- Religious / blasphemy
- 2
- Race / colonialism
- 2
- Drugs / substance use
- 2
- Violence
- 2
- LGBTQ+ content
- 1
By decade
1840s1
1910s1
1930s1
1940s1
1960s1
1980s5
1990s8
2000s24
2010s12
2020s5
Documented bans
A sample of 50 of 60 recorded events, most severe and most recent first. Each links to its source where available.
The Chongzhen Emperor: Diligent Ruler of a Failed Dynasty2023
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows2021
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Viral: China's COVID Coverups2021
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Unfree Speech2020
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Wuhan Diary2020
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Capital and Ideology2019
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → And Tango Makes Three2016
Bannedgovernment· LGBTQ+ contentsource → Moving Away from the Imperial Regime2015
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → We Uyghurs Have No Say2014
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Race / colonialismsource → People's Republic of Amnesia2014
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → No Enemies, No Hatred2012
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Bloody Myth: An Account of the Cultural Revolution Massacre of 1967 in Daoxian, Hunan2012
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Reverend Insanity2012
Bannedgovernment· historical· Violencesource → God Is Red2011
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Religious / blasphemysource → Tokyo Ghoul2011
Bannedgovernment· historical· Obscenitysource → The Killing Wind: A Chinese County's Descent into Madness during the Cultural Revolution2010
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Violencesource → China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao2010
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Prisoner of the State2009
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Prisoners of the State: The Inside Story of China's Secret System2009
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → The Fat Years2009
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Attack on Titan, Vol 22009
Bannedgovernment· historical· Immoralitysource → Tombstone2008
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Beijing Coma2008
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → The Corpse Walker2008
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Dream of Ding Village2006
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Forbidden Memory: Tibet During the Cultural Revolution2006
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Race / colonialismsource → Highschool of the Dead2006
Bannedgovernment· historical· Immoralitysource → Mao: The Unknown Story2005
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Serve the People!2005
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Sexual contentsource → Lingren Wangshi2005
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Will the Boat Sink the Water2004
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather2004
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → I Love My Mum2004
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Candy2003
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Zhou Enlai: The Last Perfect Revolutionary2003
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → Death Note2003
Bannedgovernment· historical· Immoralitysource → The Tiananmen Papers2001
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Shanghai Baby2000
Bannedgovernment· historical· Immorality, Political content, Sexual contentsource → How the Red Sun Rose2000
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Candy2000
Bannedgovernment· Drugs / substance use, Immorality, Sexual contentsource → How the Red Sun Rose: The Origins and Development of the Yan'an Rectification Movement, 1930-19452000
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → One Man's Bible1999
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → For a Song and a Hundred Songs1997
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → To Live1994
Bannedgovernment· historical· Political contentsource → The Private Life of Chairman Mao1994
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Zhuan Falun1993
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Religious / blasphemysource → Wild Swans1991
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → The Noodle Maker1991
Bannedgovernment· Political content, Sexual contentsource → Yellow Peril1991
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Soul Mountain1989
Bannedgovernment· Political contentsource → Source: Verboten, built on the banned-books.org Open Censorship Core (CC BY 4.0). Verboten compilation CC BY 4.0.