Knowledge Suppression and Resilience under Censorship: Three-century Book Publications in China

Ying Bai, Ruixue Jia and Jiaojiao Yang

No 19803, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This study examines the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of state censorship on knowledge production, focusing on the largest book-banning campaign in Chinese history, initiated during the compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library in Four Sections) between 1772 and 1783. Analyzing publication data from over 161,000 books spanning the 1660s to the 1940s, we find that categories subjected to stricter censorship experienced significant declines in publication during the seven decades following the bans (1770s–1830s). However, beginning in the 1840s, political upheavals and the erosion of state control triggered a resurgence of publications in previously restricted categories. This pattern of suppression and recovery extends to ideas, as evidenced by keyword analysis of book titles. Further analysis highlights the central role of chilling effects in driving these dynamics, with the exit and entry of publishers playing a crucial role in both the suppression and subsequent revival of knowledge production.

Keywords: Censorship; Ideas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 H11 O31 Z19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-12
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