Notice concerning Rectifying and Cleaning Up the Book, Newspaper, Periodical and Audiovisual Markets, and Strictly Attacking Criminal Activities

ZBF No. [1989]13

16 September 1989

All provincial, autonomous region and municipal Party Committees and People’s Governments, all large military region Party Committees, all Central Committee and State organ ministries and commissions, all Military Commission General Departments, all armed service Party Committees, all people’s organizations:

Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Notice concerning Further Grasping Rectification and Clean-Up Work of the Book, Newspaper, Periodical and Audiovisual Markets

On 24 August, the Party Centre and the State Council convened a nationwide telephone conference on rectifying and cleaning up the book, newspaper, periodical and audiovisual product markets, called on all levels’ Party Committees and governments to further mobilize, strengthen leadership, strictly implement policies, meticulously organize matters and concentrate forces to conduct a one-time complete rectification and clean-up of the book, newspaper, periodical and audiovisual product markets before the National Day. This is a large matter relating to the construction of a Socialist spiritual civilization and relating to a long period of peace and order of the country, the nationwide post and telecommunications departments must firmly implement this, and earnestly grasp this work. Since our Ministry sent the emergency telegram on 17 July, imposing self-inspection on newspapers, books and periodicals sold in post and telecommunications departments, all localities post and telecommunications departments have vigorously launched work, and have already achieved preliminary results. On the basis of statistics from management bureaus in twenty provinces, more than 180.000 volumes of books and periodicals propagating bourgeois liberalization, obscenity and sex, murder and violence, feudal superstition and other content have been ferreted out, and more than 1.700.000 volumes of books and periodicals have been sealed up pending inspection and appraisal. On the basis of the deployment of the Central Committee and State Council telephone conference, in order to further grasp the work of post and telecommunications departments in rectifying and cleaning up the book, newspaper, periodical and audiovisual product markets, the following matters are notified: