BEIJING – Continuing its crackdown on the Internet, China has added ghosts and monsters to a growing list of prohibited audio and video on its citizens' computers. The crackdown is in preparation for this summer's Olympic Games to be held in Beijing.
Content producers are being given less than a month look through their tapes and report "horror" to authorities, according to a statement by the General Administration of Press and Publications that was posted on a government website.
According to the statement, offending content includes, "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 purpose of the new regulations is 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." In other words, China's doing it for the kids…in part.
These regulations come on the heels of Beijing's lockdown on "vulgar" content.
But, hey, before all we round-eyes get indignant, let's remember this is CHINA! The country that brought you the Cultural Revolution has never really been known for its record concerning human rights as we see them in the West. Smarten up.
