From littleredbook:
“Chinese netizens respond to foreign cartoon censorship.”
Below are two restrictions on oversea cartoons announced by China State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT). SARFT also attached a huge list of restricted Japanese cartoons.
1st announcement on 2006.8: In order to leave out room for domestic cartoon development, create closeness between domestic cartoons and kids. From Sep.1st television stations at various levels shouldn’t broadcast oversea cartoon during prime time hours.
2nd announcement on 2008.2.19: From May1st, television stations at various levels should not broadcast oversea cartoon or any informational program introduces oversea cartoon from 5pm to 9pm, extend one hour compare to last restriction which is 5pm to 8pm.
Select comments from Tianya, translated by littleredbook:
songjia8876
SARFT’s conservative block will make TV’s impact on people become less and less. We can still watch those cartoons online. I am glad to see this tendency.
bugbin
The key is to enhance self development. Blindly block out overseas and only show our kids stupid domestic cartoons, will only make the kid become dummies.
yushifengxing
What a dumb way, only Chinese can come up with this kind of dumb idea; the result will be more and more domestic cartoon garbage!
tt90
To enhance the growth of numbers of Chinese mental disorders and China’s pirate industry.
朱厚
Suggest you to look at this announcement’s background first, restrictions on broadcast oversea cartoon, is not so much about controlling what the future generation is watching, more is to support and develop domestic cartoon industry.
宿命之爱国者
Japanese cartoons must be banned. They always talk about the world to be destroyed, and the Japanese hero to save the world, which makes kids think that the only reason why the world is still there is because of Japanese. Their primary purpose is to decrease Chinese’s hatred toward Japan, second will be to promote their national noble, and the third is enhance Japanese culture invasion. All in all, Japanese cartoon is the method Japan uses to conquer our Chinese nation.
Anyone against this announcement is traitor, and should be executed.
279407152
To the patriot above [reply to the comment above], I against it, and I against you.
Go ahead and try to execute me, all bullshit…
As a hobby, watching Japanese cartoon has been essential in my life, although they are pirated. I never think that watch Japanese cartoon, or play Japanese video games, or learn Japanese is unpatriotic behavior. Why we Chinese people like to trample on those who hold different views on the interest?
风隐月
Chinese likes to raise any little tiny topic to nation and country level issues, isn’t that tiring?
wlok188
In order to protect domestic cartoon industry, this restriction is actually what they do have to do !
This is the same method used before – restricted TV series produced by Hongkong and Taiwan, which resulted in the progress on domestic TV shows!
Japanese cartoon has a lot of aspect is worthy of learning by us, we shouldn’t say it is completely bad.
百科全书二套
Japanese anime is porn plus lots of violence. I think the government is right on banning them; not only to protect young people’s mentality, also protect our domestic cartoons.
Don’t just talk about nationalism; try to think that Korea has blocked importing Chinese TV series long time ago, in order to protect their own commercial interest. Plus we are not in a good relationship with Japan, if you want to watch then why don’t to just go to Japan?
四分之一次世纪
I want to mention two points here:
1. Local protection exists in all countries. Japan’s local protection is very strict. For example, when Japanese television program broadcast on oversea news, mostly it is negative; which is the same as what China is doing. Also, in order to protect their domestic vegetable sales, they blamed on our exported vegetables’ quality and left all vegetable from China at the Custom until it went bad. The ultimate reason why is China’s vegetable is cheaper so more competitive than Japan’s. They framed up China’s dumplings by saying they are toxic, just because during spring festival China’s dumplings have a big impact on Japan’s market.
2. Japanese anime is the most “open” cartoon in the world; no other country can compete with them. Japanese anime has been banned in a lot of countries; China is just one of them. China doesn’t have classification standards on TV and movies, so people have lots of different opinions on this. Cartoon industry in Japan is very well-developed, many cartoon shows added evil elements just to meet those abnormal part of people’s minds, also to improve the competitiveness for commercial purpose. Most of Japanese anime is teasing sexually and defined as adult cartoon.
sky_micro
Just ignore it, this is what D (Sherry: short for dang [pingyin] which means communist party) and our people are good at. Government does what they have to do, and our citizen folks have our way get around it. You can just watch pirates and post bad things online every day, life it i
总是找不到北
Support! Before our domestic cartoon become stronger, if kids expose to Japanese cartoon too much then they will be brain-washed by Japanese culture. Strongly support domestic cartoon.
大只广在东部
I don’t think there is any problem on banning. However, the problem is after banning others; they are just simply not able to produce better ones themselves.
悠然若枫
Isn’t Japan’s crime rate lower than china? If Chinese will become bad persons after watching Japanese anime, why those Japanese didn’t? This is an insult on our next generation’s judgment ability. F***, SARFT are metal disorders?
more info & translated comments at: littleredbook
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Ridiculous.
As an American I grew up on a mix of Japanese cartoons and older American cartoons… what is the problem? It was unfortunately not surprising to see the handful of Chinese comments that turned even children’s cartoons into a nationalist issue.
Oh well, I suppose those people are the Chinese equivalent to America’s crazy neo-cons and conservatives. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a country where those sorts could all go live and be nasty and small-minded together, rather than mixed in with normal, reasonable people? Hmmm, on second thought… not a good idea because they would promptly set out to wage war on everyone else. Better to keep them in check.
Can we send those who are against abortion and homosexuality to that country too? Also those Chinese who resent Americans, Koreans, French and Tibetans, or look down upon women, Nong Min or anyone from out of Shanghai. Oh wait, then there would not be sufficient people left to reproduce.
What? Japanese cartoons were already restricted last year. SARFT opted for more Taiwanese/Singapore/South Korean dramas instead.
I understand that they want to develop their cartoon industry, which is a fine goal. I think this method is too ham-handed though.
Why restrict them so much? Is one hour of guaranteed Chinese cartoons not enough? When the quality gets better, and more variety of shows is available, then increase the playing time.
The impression I get here is “it’s better than ours, so let’s ban it otherwise no one will ever watch our cartoon and they can never develop”. I think that’s pretty ridiculous. If it’s well-done and made in a way that appeals to kids, then it’ll be successful. You could show 17 hours of Chinese cartoons a day – if they’re all crap, the kids won’t watch them. Once the Chinese cartoon industry develops, which I’m sure it will given some time, there will be better quality available and the kids will watch them, and want to see more of them.
Some of the Chinese comments were about the sexuality and violence in the cartoons – simple solution is don’t play those ones on TV. Pick the more wholesome ones. Back home they play Dragonball and all that other pretty innocuous crap, no harm done to morality there.
@ Teacher in China: Dude, that is way too LOGICAL for this country.
Leave logic and reason in the west where they belong ;)
Aren’t Chinese cartoons, just like everything else on Chinese TV, meant to foster a HARMONIOUS society? Doesn’t that result in BORING cartoons for the kiddies?
Monkey King isn’t boring.
That’s about the only one, Upraise in the Heaven.
LOL… No one can compete with Japan in the Cartoon Industry. Too bad everyone will just watch it online, making it another retard and useless new law.
No one can compete with Japan in the Cartoon Industry?
What about THE SIMPSONS and SOUTH PARK (to name a few) ?
Those cartoon shows are popular all over the world.
It would be ok if the locally produced animation was actually good! I feel that everyone has dropped the ball because of the globalisation of anime in the past decade.
I was born in the 80s and in my opinion that was the golden age of American cartoons (Transformers; GI Joe; TMNT) followed by the silver age in the 90s (WB productions like Batman TAS; Animaniacs; Pinky and the Brain).
Give me a choice of 80s cartoon or 80s anime and I will take the cartoon anyday. 90s is a tough decision but 00s it would be anime for sure. All these companies are licensing the popular anime and distributing them amongst the western masses. The hardest work would be the localisation and dubbing. They already have a foundation for the story and the product is already finished … just need to sync the voice properly to the anime’s mouth motions haha.
The only really good animation that’s coming out of America nowadays are more adult orientated (Family Guy; American Dad; Simpsons). The only cartoon I would even bother watching is Avatar. I guess America can feel safe for now with their CGI motion pictures as Japan doesn’t seem the least bit interested haha.
Transformers; GI Joe; TMNT; Batman TAS; Animaniacs; Pinky and the Brain..
All those cartoons are done in Korea but produced by american international media-companies for north-american market.
Family Guy, American Dad, Simpsons are not adult orientated. adults will never watch such shit. they are redneck and uneducated Fox-watchers orientated.
and now i am going to watch some South Park satire and enjoying the last K-On kawainess..
Family Guy for rednecks? Do you know the meaning of “redneck”?
The term redneck is sometimes used in the UK with the same meaning as in the US. Pikey is also more commonly used. Whilst technically, a pikey is a traveling person, its use has spread to describe people who live in a caravan, or generally any rural or urban person considered to be of lower social status.
If anything, Family Guy is aim at the urban, liberal, left-wing part of America. Opposite of rednecks. Redneck means rural, not stupid.
You criticize the Chinese nationalist, but what about Amreican censorship of China? The only book I’ve read that was Chinese in the educational system was by Pearl S. Buck, who was a christian missionary to a predominantly Atheist/buddhist/confucianist country.
Buddhism and Confusicianism are more enlightened forms of philosophy than nailing a man up to a cross, causing blood shed, and then sending followers to paradise. And then there’s my issue with being Evalin and not feeling sorry for eating the forbidden fruit. Christianity is one of the biggest contributers to the shakling of the mind. And through the Christian lense is the only way I was able to percieve Chinese culture until my independent studies of the last few years.
So quite criticisizing the Chinese goverment! How many Chinese books does America translate for their citizens.
A proud Chinese American
The Chinese government should translate Chinese books in foreign languages for the world to read. Not the other way around. That way you ensure good translation and you promote Chinese culture. That’s the Chinese government’s job, and so far they suck at it. To ask, say, Canada (or any other country) to translate Chinese books in English is ridiculous.
The Chinese government should translate Chinese books in foreign languages for the world to read.–
well there is no need in such dumb actions. chinese goverment should just stop to forbiding a translations done by western translators. so should chinese goverment stop to ban forign translators to enter PRC for talk with avtors about the translation. So should chinese goverment just stop trying to censor forign translations.
I don’t quite get your comment, but what i meant is that it’s part of China’s job to help the world understand them. Chinese is a hard language to learn, and as such its culture and history is misunderstood and not so well known worldwide.
Of course the world has to learn Chinese somehow, and translate some Chinese books-movies-etc. into their own language.
But it would be IMO a good move for China to translate more, all the while helping foreigners learn their language. You got more control over content. In the end it’s all marketing really.
China’s job to help the world understand them.–
for that China send out thousands of volontiers to teach the world a “way of red Mao and yellow Confuzius” and great-master-race language Mandarin. so no need to translate when they all will talk Mandarin one day anyway.
–Chinese is a hard language to learn–
Chinese? wich one exsactly?
–Of course the world has to learn Chinese somehow,–
my point. the world has to lick our shoes and swallow the shit comming out of our arses!! Those barbarians do deserve nothing more when it comes to great 5000 years old chinese culture declarated back in 1911!
—But it would be IMO a good move for China to translate more—
do you realy want to teach them a great chinese culture? those barbars who do not understand our language and customs? why? they just have to follow our orders and lick our shoes!
yellow master race writing in English… Who’s the bitch now eh?
And stop crying over Japan, you guys all sound like babies. Like China never abused their neighbors… Ask Tibet and Xinjiang you racist little shit.
i love how every argument about china always ends with a under-the-table racist comment and then tibet
The whole essence of the Christian philosophy and worship of the divine begins with throwing a woman and a man out of the garden for wanting to eat a fruit of enlightment. “You shall be as gods,” we were told. Who doesn’t want to be as a god. In fact the symbol very close to I in Chinese translates,”work.” Here linguistics works in interesting ways in cultural implications because in English I is the great I AM. Well, in China, Work brings about the Great I AM.
This is relevant to why I am somewhat of a nationalist and understand why people will be watching Japanese cartoons online.
Yep. That’s why I barely touch the TV except for the news.
“Japanese cartoons must be banned. They always talk about the world to be destroyed, and the Japanese hero to save the world, which makes kids think that the only reason why the world is still there is because of Japanese. Their primary purpose is to decrease Chinese’s hatred toward Japan, second will be to promote their national noble, and the third is enhance Japanese culture invasion. All in all, Japanese cartoon is the method Japan uses to conquer our Chinese nation.
Anyone against this announcement is traitor, and should be executed.”
Congratulations. News just in. You won the Most Moronic Post Award. It’s people like this guy who makes me wonder if China will ever be civilized and “catch up with the West” as they always put it. Embarrasing man,, plain embarrasing. Do you wear a tinfoil hat?
Haha~ Goodness, if they can try to keep their ‘Chinese sentiments’ under the bed for a bit, they might be able to see the real problems and quit worrying about the wrong thing all the time!
GuoBao, if you aren’t a Chinese national, big loss for the dragon team!!
Does this mean, I can watch The Red March in cartoon version?
already done back in 70′ens.. it was such horrible propaganda that even chinese propaganda ministry covered it by dust of time.
songjia8876
SARFT’s conservative block will make TV’s impact on people become less and less. We can still watch those cartoons online. I am glad to see this tendency.
——————————————————
Don’t see what is so comforting with shifting the reliance on TV to Internet, esp. when the stupid, paranoiac Chinese government restricts access to so many sites with the lousy broadband services provided by their monopolistic subsidiary?
Chinese govt. way: Suppress or abolish something for good reasons, then replace it with something 10 times worse.
Evident that China’s opened doors are barred from inside.
In Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou areas where the HK channels can be received, the Chinese sometimes cut the program to run longer commercial breaks. And what they think more essential and appropriate to the public are checking out the available diet solutions; breast expansion; shoes that can make a sad guy taller than his girlfriend; miraculous cigarette filter that allows you to smoke over 50 cigs at once without damaging the lungs; ‘health supplements’ for women so they not only look better but also enhances their sex drives; oh and not to forget the ads from private hospitals specialised in treating men and women with STDs and plastic surgeries.
These CFs are aired day and night, and they think the children ought to be ‘closer’ to these info and poinsoned by these unhealthy social values?
These morons must’ve had some sort of undiscovered genetic defect resulted by slow poison of consuming what they produced.
CHINA VS MEDIA-GLOBALISATION.. WHO WILL WIN, WHO WILL LOSE?
I BET MY BEST BEER-BOUTLE, CHINA WILL BE CRUSHED BY FRENCH CARTOONS AT THE NEXT!
AND THEN BY EUROPEAN AND THEN BY RUSSIAN AND THEN BY CANADIAN AND THEN BY SOUTH-AMERICAN..
The news about censorship is fake(at least I couldnt see anything from the offical website of SARFT).Before arguing it,u’d better check the authenticity of it.
Wow! And China’s leaders have the gall to scream “Protectionism” when Obama wants to create legislation requiring all U.S. government building’s are built/refurbished/remodeled from/with 100% non-imported, made/mined/manufactured in the USA, parts.
“Wow! And China’s leaders have the gall to scream “Protectionism” when Obama wants to create legislation requiring all U.S. government building’s are built/refurbished/remodeled from/with 100% non-imported, made/mined/manufactured in the USA, parts.”
Our trade deficit with China is massive, and growing. If this goes into effect, it will only serve to improve the United States’ economy, which, if you haven’t noticed, is in dire need of a leg-up.
It will not effect our trade with China at all. Most of the stuff that we buy was manufactured there, and that will not change. With our federal minimum-wages in effect, it is impossible to compete with Chinese product prices with American labor, even considering the shipping costs.
[blockqoute]With our federal minimum-wages in effect, it is impossible to compete with Chinese product prices with American labor, even considering the shipping costs.
[/blockquote]
well, whos fault is that? did the Chinese impose a minimum wage on american? fuck minimum wage, its the unions whos fucking up the economy.
those damn things called worker’s rights.
North Korea announced on Monday it had successfully conducted its second nuclear test, defying international warnings and drastically raising the stakes in a global effort to get the recalcitrant Communist state to give up its nuclear weapons program.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/world/asia/25nuke.html?ref=global-home
I’m a big cartoon and anime fan, always have been. I don’t think Japanese anime is thick with Japanese nationalism.
When I was young, I watched “heman” “Shera”, “transformers”, “Tin Tin” and “Smurfs” along with all the disney favorites. Later, got addicted to “Sailor Moon” “Animanaics” and “Pinky and the Brain”, hated the “Carebears”. Also liked Pokemon..
I later really really fell in love with the creator of “Totoro” and all the movies he put out like “Howl’s moving castle”, “Princess Mononoke”. His artistic style and attention to detail and imagination just blew me away… but more so his love of nature and call for respect and connection to life energy was very mature and sophisticated for cartoons. Other Japanese animation series like “Dragon Ball” I would often miss episodes so didn’t really get the whole story besides the fight scenes.
I have watched every episode of the Simpsons, and truly love that show for its simplicity and brilliance at the social satire it makes of working class American family. Parallel to “Doriemon” reflecting Japanese family of the 80’s. Not a big fan of “Family Guy” because I think it is RED NECK, for those who don’t understand this slang, Red Neck describes people who often are farmers or field workers who’s neck is exposed to the sun for extended period of time, thus “Red Neck”, usually referring to people who has very little education, and act stupid/obnoxious.
I feel sad that the Chinese government would ban animation. I’ve seen “Bao Lan Dung”= jewelled lamp, and I fell asleep. I’m sure there are plenty of talented artists, modelers, blah blah blah….in China, but under such a culture of restriction and control, it’s no wonder there is so little original production from the Chinese creative industry.
Creation I once read in an article in “Vanity Fair” is twin sister to chaos and rebellion. Just take a good look at the typical Chinese person. The reason why there are so many smokers and gamblers in China is probably because these are the only acting out they’re allowed.
A Chinese child is molded by his/her surrounding from the moment they’re born to think, dress, behave, compete…… what?? to be in the middle of the road! Which is to say to be mediocre. Hmmmm and “Teacher in China” believes it’s a matter of time for good local animation to come along, good luck waiting. I think it’s a matter of the Government needing to let go, and the parents and teachers giving their kids the supportive mental, emotional space to be creative.
I just hope that people learn to be less passive aggressive, and have some real conversations, and real emotions for a change, instead the status quo of poker face while you’re with them, then they’ll be talking behind your back. As that is not really living, that’s having an very existential life existing between status quo manovering meaninglessly between manipulation and
vanity of the ego.
Cartoons like all cultural products, is only popular when the mass agrees with the message carried, or find entertainment value in it. It is a reflection of the time, an inspiration of what life could be “ex: Jetsons, Jimmy Nutron”, or use it as a great medium for story telling, which is the true legacy of any community. I don’t understand reading the previous posts, why there is such a unadulterated blinding nationalism for China from various netizens? I’m also very proud to be Chinese, but I don’t believe nationalism need to be at the expense of attacking other nations, or in comparision to other nations. This is not a race or a competition. Can’t we think a little more globally?? I understand the brainwashing did a number on your psyche, but before others keep giving out the moronic award to these ignorant comments, please play devil’s adovacate and challenge your own belief system until there is no holes to poke before you post.
As a global village, banning is useless, due to travel, interconnectedness via internet, only shows how limited the vision of the Chinese leaders.
我觉得之所以上面对动漫产业这么刻薄，根本原因还是在于社会骨干们普遍轻视动漫，而受动漫熏陶长大的一代羽翼还未丰满，没有话语权的缘故，希望在不久的将来，他们能把自由平等博爱的观念真正注入到那个死板教条的阶层当中去，顺便帮动漫产业翻个身。
I disagree with your assessment of Family Guy. It is crude, and obnoxious, but there are MANY elements of incredible brilliance in the cartoon.
It is heavily steeped in current American culture, and if you pay attention to it for long enough, you will see many similarities between that and The Simpsons.
The Simpsons was created at a time when the United States was afraid of exposing too much stupidity to its children. Now that we really have no (or few) such boundaries, I find that Family Guy is exactly what The Simpsons would have been, if not for the fear of sensorship.
There is a lot of political/cultural satire, and even references to the great Monty Python works. If you don’t live within the culture of the United States, it will be very difficult to pick up all of the references, and satire. My advice would be to NOT watch the early seasons. It got a lot better with age.
Anyone remember that back then after WWII, Japan also have similar policy to protect their domestic industries? Also, USA in 2008 was quite busy with the movement called “Buy American” in which they do so to protect their domestic product against cheaper Made-In-China products.
Come on, this is so not qualified news. Every single countries in the world do it at some point to protect their domestic products. Before we point finger to others, look at ourselves first. Remember, ‘those that never committ any sin at all in their parts can cast the first stone.’
End of Lesson, next!
Whooa! That’s messed up!! I love Japanese anime! Good thing i don’t live in China. But you can watch anime online. It’s awesome. I’m watching One Piece right now!! Luckily, i live in Canada =D, no restrictions!
People make laws so that laws can be broken :)
Piracy at its finest.
Whatever people criticize, they r their dam opinions, if their society cant catch up b/c some blinded nationalism, their own faults. So, just chill :)
In order to protect domestic cartoon industry, this restriction is actually what they do have to do !
This is the same method used before – restricted TV series produced by Hongkong and Taiwan, which resulted in the progress on domestic TV shows!
I thought Hong Kong and Taiwan were part of China??? At least thats what 1,4 billion chinese say??