Party is banned

Han Han: one issue was enough

While not exactly banned, Chinese publishers don’t seem to want anything to do with a popular new magazine.

In issue 71 we profiled Han Han, China’s most famous blogger and outspoken critic. We also reported the launch of his highly controversial magazine Duchangtuan, or Party. The bi-monthly magazine, which hit the news-stands in the summer, sold one million copies despite grumblings from the critics. But the second issue, which was scheduled to be released on August 30, has now been postponed indefinitely.

“I’m still looking for a new publisher, but have made hardly any progress,” Han told the China Daily this week. He added that relations between him and the publisher of the first issue had officially ended. Though he refused to say what caused the rift, Han indicated that many publishing houses are afraid to publish a magazine run by him because they are worried that he is “beyond control”. Publishers are more than happy to make money, Han added, but they don’t want to have additional pressures.

Since Han began blogging in 2006, he has been delivering increasingly caustic attacks on China’s direction and policies. Even getting the first issue published was a feat. The magazine was reportedly delayed from its early-2010 publication date due to government authorities taking issue with some of its more provocative content.

China has 9,851 magazines in circulation – which generated Rmb12.67 billion in advertising last year. But its most talked about new title may not get beyond its debut issue.

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