The Straits Times, 11th November 2012 (ANN) - When Chinese tourists passed through
Singapore's Changi Airport during their national day break last month,
they snapped up pandan cakes, orchid brooches - and thick tomes on
Chinese history and politics.
These are not dry texts but alluring reads of sex, murder and power play, with titles like "The 2014 Coup", and "Killing Within The Love Triangle".
But they are not fiction. Instead, they claim to be tell-all books that purport to give readers a peek into the inside workings of Chinese politics.
And yes, they are banned in mainland China.
"The sales were very good. Some books at the airport bookstores sold out," said Ye Jiawei, store manager at Bras Basah Complex's Union Book, which sells and distributes them.
Available at bookshops around the world, they are enjoying brisk sales ahead of China's leadership changeover which starts tomorrow at the 18th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
These are not dry texts but alluring reads of sex, murder and power play, with titles like "The 2014 Coup", and "Killing Within The Love Triangle".
But they are not fiction. Instead, they claim to be tell-all books that purport to give readers a peek into the inside workings of Chinese politics.
And yes, they are banned in mainland China.
"The sales were very good. Some books at the airport bookstores sold out," said Ye Jiawei, store manager at Bras Basah Complex's Union Book, which sells and distributes them.
Available at bookshops around the world, they are enjoying brisk sales ahead of China's leadership changeover which starts tomorrow at the 18th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
This is despite costing S$30 (US$25) to S$60 (US$49), more than the usual Chinese-language paperback.
Mirror Books, a major publisher of such titles based in Hong Kong and New York, has enjoyed a good year, said its founder Ho Pin, a former Xinhua reporter.
Popular titles can sell tens of thousands of copies, he said, but declined to give more details.
There is a lot more interest in Chinese politics this year, compared to the last time China held party congresses - in 2007 and 2002 - he noted.
"At that time people were not that interested in changes in China. But now a lot of people have felt the stagnation and the problems faced by China in the last 10 years. They sense that China may soon see big changes," Ho said over the phone from New York, where he is based.
Indeed, this has been a year of political transition as well as scandals - and one of rich pickings for the peddlers of such books.
The lurid saga of the downfall of Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai, with tales of murder, debauchery and corruption, fuelled more interest in these books.
The People's Commune bookstore in Hong Kong, which is popular with those in search of banned books about China, has seen brisk sales after the scandal.
"When Bo first got into trouble, the shelves were full of books about the scandal. But actually, the content of the books is more or less the same," said Deng Ziqiang, owner of the shop.
Sales of books like "The 18th Party Congress", and "The Mysterious Case Of Bo Xilai" have also gone up at Singapore's Kinokuniya Bookstore, said its merchandising manager Clara Lim. She added that there was no spike in sales of English-language books on China.
In any case, these Chinese-language books on Chinese politics tend to be a mixed bag.
While there are gems like ex- journalist Yang Jisheng's "Tombstone", a landmark work on China's Great Famine (1958-1961), many are churned out to cash in on the hunger for news on Chinese politics.
"These are not works but rubbish. They are misleading and some even attack Chinese leaders," said Wang Xiaodong of the Beijing-based China Booksellers and Publishers Association.
In China, political leaders are not allowed to publish autobiographies, he noted. And retired ones need to have their books vetted strictly before releasing them.
Buyers of these books are largely from the mainland, not so much the Hong Kongers or Taiwanese. "Hong Kong people are already not interested in Hong Kong politics, what more Chinese politics?" said Deng.
The Taiwanese are even less curious. About 20 to 30 of these titles are on sale at any one time but even for a top-seller, say a book on incoming party chief Xi Jinping, "a few hundred" copies are sold at most in all of Taiwan, said a Taipei-based industry player who did not want to be named.
In Singapore too, Singaporeans make up only a small number of those who buy these books, said Ye.
But the Chinese readers tend to be people of influence, like officials, businessmen and academics, noted Ho.
These books will continue to sell even after the leadership handover, he predicted.
"Changes in China won't stop after the 18th Party Congress. In fact, there will be even greater changes," he said.
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