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Shirley Zhao

A bestselling book series slammed for its violent and sexually explicit content and unrestricted distribution among even primary school kids has been rated indecent by the city’s Obscene Articles Tribunal.
This means that, although the two-book, Chinese-language series titled Deep Web may be sold in Hong Kong, the books must be wrapped with a notice to warn against their sale to individuals under the age of 18.
A spokeswoman for the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration said the publisher could appeal the tribunal’s decision within five days after the rating announcement, which came on Tuesday.
Violent, sexually explicit and popular with Hong Kong kids: book series recalled over content
“At the same time, the office will take proper follow-up action based on the rating, including considering prosecution,” she said.
As of 5pm yesterday, the office received 198 complaints against the two books, whose titles translate as Internet Strange Tales and Humanity Strange Tales.
The series’ author, Johnny Li, a 24-year-old criminology student at City University, said he and the publisher, Idea Publication, welcomed the rating and would not lodge an appeal.
Li, who goes by the pen name Scary Bird, admitted mishandling distribution, noting the books were displayed on some local bookshops’ bestseller shelves without bearing a warning about their content.
Hong Kong government ‘powerless’ against ‘deep web’ threat
He said the publisher had voluntarily recalled the books from all bookshops for repackaging when controversy broke earlier this month.
Its repackaging efforts included attaching warning notices to the books and wrapping them in plastic.
“What we have done is in line with the requirement of the rating,” Li said.
“We feel the rating is reasonable and welcome the decision. I feel it was the publisher’s and my own negligence at the start,” he added.
Li said he did not want to focus on violence in his books but instead wanted to reveal the dark side of society and of the virtual world.
Book gets to bottom of Antony Gormley’s Hong Kong ‘naked man’ exhibit
The books introduce readers to the deep web, a part of the internet not searchable on standard search engines.
The books also contain graphic content, such as a passage detailing the cooking of a little girl.
Psychologists have said that children in general lack self-regulation and are more likely to accept graphic content as normal when they see books are popular among their peers.
The first book has been printed six times, generating about 10,000 copies since its publication in May last year. It was the eighth-best-selling Chinese-language book last year at Taiwan-based book chain Eslite.
There are some 5,000 copies of the second book, which was published earlier this month and has already become the third-best-selling Chinese-language book at Commercial Press.


Popular Hong Kong book series Deep Web rated ‘indecent’ by obscenity body  

The second book in the web series with a warning note attached to its cover. Photo: Peace Chiu

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Hong Kong

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Government watchdog says it could pursue prosecution


Popular Hong Kong book series Deep Web rated ‘indecent’ by obscenity body

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government watchdog says it could pursue prosecution

Government watchdog says it could pursue prosecution