China issued a new directive on Aug 2 that posed another serious challenge to TV play producers in the latest move to “clean up the TV environment and cultivate mainstream values”.
The regulation, released by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), requires the TV play producers to distinguish the enemies and friends in any production related to the War Against Japanese Aggression and the Civil War, avoid magnifying family disputes to extremes, avoid adding nonsensical content to costume dramas and to focus on the right value proposition in business-based plays. It also forbids foreign production wannabes from broadcasting domestically, and does not encourage adaptation of online novels into TV plays.
It states that no adaptation of online games are allowed, which drew heavy criticism from Chinese youth who grow up on a diet of digital entertainment.
On Sina Weibo, one of China’s micro-blogs, the edict sparked a new round of discussion about its legitimacy and efficacy.
User 星霖岳峰 wrote: "SARFT gave six new regulations for TV play production, and one of them is to know who are the friends or enemies in revolution-based plays. It really confuses me. Do today’s TV series mistake one for the other?"
User 楚铃靛Nankoa wrote: "If SARFT changes its roles with the authorities responsible for food safety, we can freely eat whatever we want and watch more TV dramas of different styles. We will then have a higher standard of material and cultural life."
User Dr-杨小洋 wrote: "What is good about TV dramas if they follow the regulations? They are forcing us to watch foreign TV series, actually."
Another regulation, issued on Oct 25 last year, limited each of the country's 34 satellite channels to two entertainment programs each week, while more news, moral education programs and documentaries were encouraged.
By Xu Xinlei
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