In a dimly lit industrial building in Hong Kong, hundreds of books wrapped in brown paper were stacked four feet high on shipping pallets. The books contained tales of sex, corruption and murder that would make even the most jaded reader of bawdy romance novels blush. But these works, which mix rumor, speculation and outright fiction, spin stories about China’s elite. One book, “The General Secretary’s Eight Love Stories,” claims that President Xi Jinping of China has had a number of affairs, including one with a television presenter. Another says that Mr. Xi’s wife, angered by the affair, seized power from her husband. Read more
