A BEIJING auction house announced Sunday that it would scrap the auction of letters by a late Chinese writer and his widow after protests alleging privacy infringement.

    An online statement by Poly International Auction Co. said three letters written by Qian Zhongshu and his wife, Yang Jiang, had been removed from Monday’s auction.

    Qian, who died in 1997, is a household name in China. His sarcastic novel “Fortress Besieged” depicts the lives of Chinese intellectuals in the 1930s. Yang, 102, is a renowned author and translator.

    Yang has been in a row with Beijing-based auction company Sungari since last month over the company’s decision to auction 110 private letters and manuscripts by Qian, Yang and their late daughter. Yang accused the sales, scheduled for June, of infringing on their rights of authorship, privacy and reputation.

    Yang launched a second protest last Tuesday after learning that Poly was planning a similar auction.

    “I firmly oppose acts by any company or individual to auction letters by Qian Zhongshu, our daughter Qian Yuan or myself without permission, and we have never authorized any company or individual to handle or sell our letters,” said Yang’s statement.

    Yang vowed in the statement to take legal actions if such sales were continued.

    Poly said it immediately decided to cancel the sales upon learning of Yang’s protest and that its announcement intended to express respect for Qian and Yang.

    Before the removal, Poly estimated online that the three letters would sell for 30,000 to 32,000 yuan (US$4,855-5,178). (Xinhua)