I guess this is no surprise

Ron Caliburn · Post by **Ron Caliburn** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:12 pm

Seems that the Chinese have finally gotten around to censoring paranormal stories.

Regulators now spooked by ghost stories wrote:Thu Feb 14, 12:17 PM

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has added ghosts, monsters and other things that go bump in the night to its list of banned video and audio content in an intensified crackdown ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

Producers have around three weeks to look through their tapes for "horror" and report it to authorities, the General Administration of Press and Publications said in a statement posted on the government Web site.

Offending content included "wronged spirits and violent ghosts, monsters, demons, and other inhuman portrayals, strange and supernatural storytelling for the sole purpose of seeking terror and horror," the administration said.

The new guidelines aim to "control and cleanse the negative effect these items have on society, and to prevent horror, violent, cruel publications from entering the market through official channels and to protect adolescents' psychological health."

The regulations suggest China, where graphic, pirated sex and horror movies are available on most street corners, is keen to step up its control of the cultural arena ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August, which are widely seen as a coming-out party for the rising political and economic power.

They come just weeks after Beijing clamped down on "vulgar" video and audio content, slapped restrictions on Internet sites and handed down a two-year film-making ban to the team behind the steamy "Lost in Beijing."

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:58 pm

Not really.

Image is everything.

Perception is reality.

Ron Caliburn · Post by **Ron Caliburn** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:03 pm

For a while it seemed as if the Chinese government wasn't going to give into the idiocy the rest of the world has and allow their people to circulate the folklore that could protect them freely.

But apparently, in order to look like a modern society they have to censor it.

KonThaak · Post by **KonThaak** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:18 pm

Are you kidding? The Chinese have been censoring animes that're aimed at more adult audiences for years--and not just those of a pornographic nature, either. The Japanese anime "Deathnote", a fictional story of a boy who comes into contact with a death god and gets control of a notebook that kills whoever you want.

They said it "wasn't appropriate for children". No shit, really? I guess this means that according to the Chinese government, only things that are child-safe are also adult-safe.

Oh, when I read Lex the article, she had this to say: "LAME!"

concrete_Angel · Post by **concrete_Angel** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:42 am

Makes me want to go watch a movie now.

Ron Caliburn · Post by **Ron Caliburn** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:45 am

Better do it while you still can.

KonThaak · Post by **KonThaak** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:37 am

I've heard the original "The Eye", out of China, is rather good, far better than the release we made. I plan to go out and rent it soon, maybe next weekend.