China's press and publication regulator has issued a notice
announcing the launch of another nationwide crackdown on "vulgar"
video and audio products.
The notice, dated December 25, 2007, was posted on the website
of General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) on
Friday.
The notice said after a three-month quality check of China's
entertainment market, GAPP found the contents and covers of certain
video and audio products in the country were "vulgar".
Some of the video and audio products are coarsely made,
containing materials of bad taste; some are replete with sexually
suggestive languages like "absolutely erotic", "not suitable for
those under 18" and half-nude images to promote sales; and some are
showing female nudity in the name of "body art", said the
notice.
Before January 15, audio and video producers should stop the
production and sale of vulgar products and recall those that are
already on the market, GAPP said in the notice.
After that, GAPP's provincial bureaus will have to carry out
inspections and submit before the end of January a written report
and samples of vulgar products to GAPP, which will then conduct
spot checks across the country.
GAPP threatened in the notice to punish audio and video
producers who continued to sell the prohibited products, but did
not say how.
The notice came as the latest one of a series of "bans" and
"crackdowns" on pornography given by China's censors around the new
year week.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT)
ordered Thursday cinemas to stop public screening and distribution
of Lost in Beijing, a film it accused of containing
pornographic scenes.
Beijing Laurel Films Company, which co-produced the racy migrant
tale with Beijing Poly-bona Film Publishing Co. Ltd and Beijing
Zhonghong Real Estate Development Company, was banned from making
films on the Chinese mainland for two years.
A SARFT official said the film's producers had used the cut
scenes from the original copy in the advertisement and had spread
the deleted scenes through the Internet.
On Dec. 29, 2007, SARFT issued a ban prohibiting producers of
erotic movies from competing for any film awards.
The ban also prohibits directors and leading actors from taking
part in any of such?awards.
?
"The heaviest punishment for such violation would lead to a
five-year ban of perpetrators from the movie industry," according
to the ban.
The SARFT asked nationwide studios not to produce films with
footage of hardcore activities, rape, whoring, obscene sex exposing
human genitals, or sex freaks. Vulgar conversations, nasty songs
and sound effects with sexual connotation were also restricted.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2008)