Lin Maoxian

    bigapple2007@126.com

    RECENTLY, an autographed letter that Jia Pingwa, a famous calligrapher, novelist and short story writer in China, wrote to the Literature Research Institute affiliated with China Writers Association (CWA) in Beijing 34 years ago sold on an old book online auction site for 16,250 yuan (US$2,643), triggering a hot debate.

    This is not an isolated case where celebrities’ private letters have been auctioned without the consent of the writer or the writer’s family.

    Less than two years ago, an auction company announced plans to auction scores of private letters written by Qian Zhongshu — one of China’s best-known masters of literature and culture in modern history — to his wife Yang Jiang and his daughter Qian Yuan. The plan had to be canceled after strong opposition from Yang, who said she would take legal action if the letters were auctioned.

    Some celebrities’ private letters possess historical, documental, or artistic value and may reveal interesting facts about the writers’ private lives. This is why such letters have become highly sought-after items at auction houses in recent years.

    Jia’s letter, for example, revealed a moment in his life that he may not want to be revealed.

    In that letter, Jia, then 28, stated the reasons why he finally decided to give up the opportunity to receive training at the institute. In order to solve the problem of living apart from his family, he had to spend a lot of time currying favor with officials at the labor bureau to get his wife being transferred to the same city. Once he set out for Beijing, there might be little chance of getting the issue taken care of, he said in the letter.

    It is immoral for individuals or businesses to seek profits by auctioning private letters without the writers’ authorization. Private letters are a kind of communication built upon mutual trust between correspondents. Disclosure of such letters or auctioning them off without authorization constitutes an infringement of privacy.

    Some legal experts on tort liability laws have also pointed out that right to privacy is a basic human right. Those who have the legal rights to the personal information of others, or were trusted with such information, should bear legal responsibilities if they leak private information without the consent of the person concerned.

    For those who have a passion for history and research, some celebrities’ private letters may have significant value. Individuals in possession of such letters may be tempted to make big money by auctioning them off, and some auction houses may exploit legal loopholes by auctioning these letters under the guise of research material. To curb this kind of brazen infringement on privacy, victims of such auctions should take legal action against the sellers and auction houses.

    (The author is a foreign trade salesperson in a Shenzhen-based import and export company.)