Beijing, Sep 15 (IANS/EFE): Chinese authorities have detained liberal writer Huang Zherong, better known by his nickname Tie Lu, after he published several articles criticising Liu Yunshan, the head of propaganda for the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), Huang's wife told Efe news agency Monday.

The arrest was made in the early hours of Sunday, when police barged into the house of the writer in eastern Beijing and arrested him, Tie Lu's wife Ren Hengfang said.

"The police also searched our house and seized his mobile, my tablet, some books from Hong Kong, books that my husband wrote, letters from our friends and other things,"Ren told Efe by telephone.

On Sunday, Ren received an official confirmation of the 81-year-old writer's detention in which he was accused of "provoking problems".

"I am sure that it is because of the critical statements he wrote about Liu," Ren said in reference to several articles published by her husband online in which he seemed to be accusing the propaganda chief of the CPC and his family of corruption, and urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to dismiss him.

Along with the writer, the authorities also detained the woman who helped him in his work and cleaned the house of the couple, according to the wife of the detainee.

The arrest of the famous writer came almost six decades after Tie was accused of being "rightist" in the campaign led by Mao Zedong against liberals after a short period during which Mao mildly tolerated criticism, but later purged those who dared to protest.

Tie, then a journalist in his twenties, was imprisoned for his liberal ideas and ended up serving 23 years in prison.

The writer also is known for his commitment in 2010 to create a million yuan fund to finance legal help to Chinese writers and journalists.

The appointment of Liu Yunshan as the fifth member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) created fears amongst Chinese journalists and intellectuals who knew that that his coming to power would mean a possible increase in censorship of media and liberal professions in the country.