Mu Zimei
Date: 1978 - Present
Region: Asia
Subject: Explicit Sexuality
Medium: Print Journalism
Artist: Mu Zimei
Confronting Bodies: Chinese government censors
Dates of Action: December, 2003
Location: Guangdong, China
Description of Artwork: Mu Zumei keeps an online diary, detailing her personal sex life, for the country's most popular web site, Sina.com. She also writes for the magazine, City Pictoral, offering advice on various sexual topics.
The Incident: The Chinese government banned Mu Zimei's forthcoming book. The announcement stunned online booksellers who were backed up with orders. The Chinese government ordered the cyber-merchants not to fulfill the requests. This is not surprising after reviewing China's record in banning sex-related works. In 1994 the government banned a sexually explicit novel, The Abandonded Capital, written by acclained author Jia Pingwa. And in 2000, another sexually explicit novel, Shanghai Baby, written by Zhou Weihui, was banned.
Results of Incident: Mu Zimei has ceased contributing to her online diary and her sex column to prevent further controversy.
Source: The New York Times
