Former CCTV reporter and host Chai Jing’s 2013 book “Seeing” has been taken off the shelves in China.
On May 15th, Beijing Beibeite Publishing Consultant Co., Ltd. notified e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Dangdang, Pinduoduo, and Xinhua that the book “Seeing” would cease publication and distribution due to “quality issues.” The company decided to recall all copies of the book and requested the platforms to immediately stop selling it upon receiving the notice.
Beijing Beibeite Publishing Consultant Co., Ltd., established on September 4, 2000, is affiliated with Guangxi Normal University Press.
When asked by a Central News Agency journalist through a phone call, Beijing Beibeite’s return department stated that regardless of whether the book was shipped from the company, it must be fully recalled and taken off the shelves.
“Seeing” is Chai Jing’s autobiographical work, recounting her ten years at CCTV and documenting social issues in China such as air pollution and left-behind children. The book was published in 2013 by Guangxi Normal University Press and became the best-selling book of the year with sales exceeding 3 million copies.
In 2014, Chai Jing left CCTV, and in 2015, her self-funded documentary on air pollution, “Under the Dome,” caused a nationwide sensation. The online broadcast accumulated over 200 million views within 48 hours. Subsequently, the video and related articles were comprehensively censored by the Chinese authorities.
In August 2023, Chai Jing released a trailer for her new documentary “Strangers” on Chinese social media platforms, which briefly sparked public discussion but was deleted by the authorities within an hour of its release.
Currently, Chai Jing is a self-media personality, releasing videos on Youtube with several surpassing 1 million views. Her latest episode features an interview with Taiwanese veteran Gao Binghan, discussing the brutal history of the Chinese Civil War.
The removal of “Seeing” has caught the attention of netizens.
A user on social platform X commented, “Chai Jing’s current topic choices fall on the edge, and whether it is censored or not lies at the decision of the leadership.” “It’s absurd to ban such a superficial bestseller, making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“Once again, what sensitive keywords of the CCP did she hit?” “Is it because of Chai Jing’s latest Youtube video?” “It seems that her recent episode about Taiwanese veterans deeply offended some people.” “Her latest video a few days ago was on the theme of the Chinese Civil War and anti-Taiwan Strait conflict, which goes against the will of the leaders. Taiwan might face some trouble.”