May 20, 2026, Chinese media Guangming Daily reported, in an article titled ''Xinhua Dictionary': Sales of pirated editions surprisingly exceeded legitimate editions?', that e-commerce site algorithms and lax screening promote the spread of pirated books, and that the publishing industry is facing a serious crisis.

The article introduced the current situation where, in major dictionaries such as the 'Xinhua Dictionary' sold by the long-established publisher Commercial Press, sales of pirated editions far exceed those of legitimate copies, and cases where thousands of students throughout an entire school use pirated editions.

As a specific example, it reported that the new work 'Xián de Wánxiào' by author Liu Zhenyun (Liu Zhenyun) saw pirated editions circulating in less than a week after its release last December.

Furthermore, it mentioned a significant change in book sales formats as the background for the widespread circulation of pirated editions. It stated that last year, e-commerce sites accounted for about 90% of book sales channels, while physical store sales remained at only about 3%. It also introduced that for 'Xián de Wánxiào', a cumulative total of 3,319 links to pirated editions were detected within five months of its release.

The article also pointed out, citing an analysis by a certain online media outlet, that platforms prioritize traffic and user retention, using books with low decision-making costs as 'lure products.' It reported that this issue was also discussed at last year's 'Two Sessions (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference).'

Furthermore, it introduced the reality that pirated book dealers register stores with false information and have shifted their methods to small-batch, on-demand printing at local factories without holding large inventories. It conveyed that the situation is like 'whack-a-mole,' where even if publishers report pirated stores and have them shut down, the dealers quickly reopen under different names.

The article stated that these structural problems cast a shadow over the creative field, and also pointed out that author Li Juan (Li Juan) asserts that disrespect for copyright erodes creators' motivation and causes cultural production to fall into an endless loop, leading to stagnation. In response to this situation, a total of 10 major social media and e-commerce companies announced the launch of a three-month special action plan to regularize the online sales order for books. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)