Financial Times：中國將加強進口兒童文學作品管制
和世界上許多的年輕讀者一樣，中國兒童是和那些熟悉的名字一起成長的，例如羅爾德·達爾的了不起的狐貍爸爸以及哈利波特系列。
但是北京（政府）現在正采取新的措施來限制訪問外國圖書和出版物，它開辟了新的防線，以限制外部對中國社會的影響。
監管部門已經給出版商發出口頭指示，限制外國作者編寫的兒童書籍數量，具體要求根據他們掌握的訂單情況確定。這一決定將使每年出版的中文兒童作品譯本，從數以千計減少到幾百種，其中一人說。
淘寶，中國最大的電子商務網站之一，持有者是馬云的阿里巴巴，周五宣布它們將在平臺上禁止銷售所有的外國出版物。“為了規范淘寶在線購物平臺，創造一個安全和安全的網上購物環境，增強消費者的信心和滿意度，淘寶將把所有外國出版物和采購信息加入禁止條款，”阿里巴巴在一份聲明中說。
業內專家對這一規則表示驚訝，并質疑這將如何影響快速增長的市場。“我無法想象這種限制是可行的，因為它的實施是如此困難，并且它對任何人或國家都沒有任何好處，” 一個要求匿名的資深中文圖書編輯說。
Jo Lusby，企鵝蘭登書屋北亞區總裁，說：“中國的兒童市場繁榮發展，特別是在學齡前與圖畫書領域。”在亞馬遜中國網站，六出10大暢銷兒童書由外國作者，包括哈利·波特與死亡圣器，JK羅琳的一系列關于巫師男孩的冒險的第七部分和最后一部分，和Sam McBratney的“猜猜我有多愛你”，20年前發表以來已經在全球銷售2千8百萬份。
目前還不知道中國政府的哪一部分在主導限制兒童讀物供應的行動。目前還不清楚這項禁令是否有效果，因為星期五的互聯網搜索顯示數百名中國銷售商仍在銷售外國兒童讀物。
在這份阿里巴巴的聲明中措辭含糊，它將同時禁止出售外國視頻游戲，CD和DVD。淘寶的一個供應商告訴客戶們：“我們可以說的是，珍惜你所擁有的每個人！從現在起，我們幾乎可以肯定，如果要買到外國貨將更加困難，更加昂貴，更加難得。”
中國的圖書和雜志目錄是被嚴格管制的。
只有八家國營的進口商及其附屬公司獲準將外國書目引入內地。消費者們渴望的禁書在他們向往已久的臺灣和香港，那里可以享受大陸讀者無法體驗的自由訪問。
然而，網上賣家提供了一個漏洞，通過巧妙的關鍵詞搜索——所謂的“代購”，可以找到成千上萬的違禁品，有事業心的中間人從國外購買商品出售給內地客戶。
盡管圖書銷售的總量在下降，中國的網上圖書銷售在過去五年中的增長超過四倍。隨著生活水平的提高，兒童文學作品的銷量增長尤其迅猛。
China tries to restrict access to foreign children’s books
Like millions of young readers around the world, Chinese children have grown up with popular titles such as Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox and the Harry Potter series.
But Beijing is now introducing new measures to restrict access to foreign books and publications as it opens a new front in its battle to limit outside influence on Chinese society.
Regulators have given verbal instructions to publishers to limit the number of children’s books written by foreign authors made available in China, according to three people with knowledge of the order. The decision would reduce the thousands of children’s titles published in Chinese translation every year to just a few hundred, one of them said.
Taobao, one of China’s biggest ecommerce sites and owned by Jack Ma’s Alibaba, said on Friday it would prohibit the sale of all foreign publications on its platform.
“In order to regulate the Taobao online shopping platform and to create a safe and secure online shopping environment to enhance consumer confidence and satisfaction, Taobao will add all foreign publications and buyer information to its embargo rules,” Alibaba said in a statement.
Industry experts expressed surprise at the ruling and questioned how it would affect a fast-growing market. “I can’t imagine this restriction to be possible, because its implementation is so difficult, and it also has no benefit whatsoever for the people or the country,” said a senior Chinese books editor, who asked not to be identified.
Jo Lusby, managing director for Penguin Random House North Asia, said: “The children’s market is substantial and growing in China, in particular in the pre-school and picture book area.”
On Amazon’s Chinese site, six out of the top 10 bestselling children’s books were by foreign authors, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final part of JK Rowling’s series about the adventures of a boy-wizard, and Sam McBratney’s illustration Guess How Much I Love You, which has sold 28m copies worldwide since being published 20 years ago.
THE CHILDREN’S MARKET IS SUBSTANTIAL AND GROWING IN CHINA, IN PARTICULAR IN THE PRE-SCHOOL AND PICTURE BOOK AREA
It is not known which part of the Chinese government is leading the drive to limit the supply of children’s books. It was also unclear whether the ruling was having an effect, as internet searches on Friday revealed hundreds of Chinese vendors selling foreign children’s books.
Ambiguity in the wording of Alibaba’s notice would also allow it to ban the sale of foreign video games, CDs and DVDs. One Taobao vendor wrote to customers: “All we can say is, everyone treasure what you have! From now on, we can be confident in saying that it will be more difficult, more expensive and more rare to buy foreign goods.”
The contents of Chinese bookshelves and magazine stands are strictly regulated. Only eight state-owned importers and their subsidiaries are licensed to bring foreign titles into the mainland.
Consumers eager for banned books have long sought them out in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which enjoy unfettered access to volumes inaccessible to mainland readers.
However, online vendors have offered a loophole, with cleverly worded searches turning up thousands of illicit titles sold by so-called daigou, enterprising intermediaries who buy goods from abroad and sell them on to mainland customers.
Online book sales in China have more than quadrupled during the past five years, even as overall book sales have dipped. Sales of children’s literature in particular have soared as living standards have risen.
