Books banned in mainland China sell well in Taiwan, thanks to mainland visitors
Visitors would buy as many as several dozens of books and ask the bookstore to ship them home to the mainland
Books banned in the mainland have seen a steady rise in demand in Taiwan since the island allowed individual mainland visitors to visit in June 2011.
While there was no official figure tallying the rise, book publishers estimated at least a five-fold increase in demand for the books whose subjects ranged from political intrigue to classic novels banned by Chinese authorities on the ground of immoral content.
“Books relating to Chinese political figures, including Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong and Zhao Ziyang, are the most popular for the mainland visitors,” said a staff member of Eslite Books, one of Taiwan’s top bookstore chains.
The spotlight on the banned book business fell on Taiwan this past week because a written letter allegedly from missing bookseller Lee Bo was first reported by Taipei-based Central News Agency.
Such books, including the love life of the late Chinese leader Mao, as well as the secret journals of the late former premier Zhao who was sacked after the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989,were frequently requested by visitors, she said.
“Unlike locals who read the books for hours before deciding to buy them, most mainland visitors usually glance at the book covers, flip through a few pages and quickly go to the cashiers to pay for the books,” said the staffer identified by her surname Wang.