Is it illegal to read pornographic books?

Legal analysis: the law only stipulates that it is not allowed to sell, spread or copy. And it depends. The public security organs only punish the organizers. Ordinary spectators will not be punished, but sometimes they will be given public security warnings or fines.

Legal basis: People's Republic of China (PRC) Criminal Law.

Article 363 Whoever makes, copies, publishes, sells or disseminates obscene articles for profit shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also be fined; If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined; If the circumstances are especially serious, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or confiscated.

Whoever provides a book number for others and publishes obscene books and periodicals shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and shall also or only be fined; Whoever knowingly publishes obscene books and periodicals and provides the ISBN shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

Article 364 Whoever disseminates obscene books, periodicals, movies, audio-visual recordings, pictures or other obscene articles, if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years, criminal detention or public surveillance. Whoever commits this crime shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance, and shall also or only be fined.

If a unit commits this crime, it shall be fined, and the directly responsible person in charge and other directly responsible personnel shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of this crime committed by natural persons.