BL Themed Café Is Canceled in China Due to Force Majeure

The BL (Yaoi) censorship in China is going strong, as in late April a themed café for PAYBACK was unexpectedly canceled in the country without anyone fully understanding what happened, though many online speculate it was due to censorship.

BL Themed Café Is Canceled in China Due to Force Majeure

The cancellation of the PAYBACK themed café in China was officially attributed to “force majeure factors,” with no further explanation provided by the organizers. The company responsible for the event, known for bringing international content to Chinese audiences, did not detail the reasons.

Even without official confirmation, many believe the cancellation is related to reports or external pressure, since BL content faces censorship in China. Despite the ban on publications with homoaffective themes, derivative products such as events, themed cafés, and pop-up stores have managed to enter the Chinese market with fewer barriers.

The PAYBACK themed café was expected to feature the author’s presence and character merchandise, as seen in promotional images, and everything was nearly ready before the cancellation.

It is worth mentioning that last year there were reports that several Chinese women who wrote BL stories and published them on Taiwanese platforms were arrested by Chinese authorities for profiting from their work. At least 20 authors were detained, while many others made agreements to avoid issues with the “justice system.”

It is curious that they still attempted to organize this BL café there. PAYBACK is a Korean BL webtoon.