The Times' Jane Macartney reports on what could be a harbinger of things to come in China, at least with regards to its publishing culture. The country quietly removed its chief censor, Long Xinmin, who had provoked a furore on the internet this year with a ban on eight books, yesterday. At the same time it unveiled new rules aimed at ensuring greater government transparency as part of a campaign to eradicate corruption and misrule.

The ban on eight books that examined sensitive events in recent Chinese history resulted in a wave of anger on the internet, prompting the authorities to allow the books to remain on sale until stocks ran out. New print runs, however, have been prohibited and the publishing houses punished. Zhang Yihe, one of the most prominent authors, who applied to a Beijing court last week to overturn the ban on her book about stars of Peking Opera, told The Times she could not be sure that there was any link to Long's effective dismissal. She said: "I hope the new chief will treat the spiritual fruits of China's countless intellectuals with an attitude that is less rude and less dictatorial." But considering China's history, that might be an optimistic hope...