By Fareed Zakaria, CNN
Imagine if you flicked on your television and found that the government had cancelled American Idol, 30 Rock, The Office, and Dancing with the Stars. That's essentially what happened in China, where last week Beijing eliminated a staggering two-thirds of all prime-time entertainment. What in the world is going on?
Supergirl looks and feels like American Idol. But the Chinese talent show was pulled for being too vulgar, and too Western. It's one of 88 entertainment shows that have been canceled. Other programs that have survived have had to change. Censors have ensured the dating show "If You Are the One" is now less racy - gone are the Western-style discussions about sex.
Why all the cuts?
Beijing reportedly wants to combat what it calls "excessive entertainment" and "a trend towards low taste."
These orders came from the very top - from President Hu Jintao. In an essay published in a party magazine last week, Presdient Hu claimed that "hostile international forces" were plotting to "Westernize and divide China."
He called for "forceful measures" to develop home-grown cultural products that could engage China's youth.
Mr. Hu worries about China's place in the free world: the discrepancy between its growing economic clout and its relatively feeble cultural influence.
We all know that China's GDP will likely surpass America's total output within a decade or so. But as far as entertainment goes, the U.S. is completely dominant.
China's top grossing films last year were all from Hollywood - the latest sequels to Kung Fu Panda and Pirates of the Caribbean. And that's despite a huge number of restrictions the Beijing government imposes on Hollywood.
What about domestic Chinese films? Well, the state lavished money on two star-studded propaganda epics last year. But they didn't bring in as much revenue as the Hollywood releases - and that's in the domestic Chinese market! Outside of China, these Chinese films barely registered.
All this is putting frowns on the faces of China's leaders.
Beijing isn't satisfied simply with controlling domestic TV news and the Internet. It wants to control the Chinese cultural diet. And the appetite goes outside China's borders, as well. Beijing wants more "soft power."
But back to our canceled TV shows - this is not simply about cultural exports. It's about controlling what the Chinese people hear and see, Mr. Hu is trying to create a layer of stability in 2012 and beyond. 2012, of course, is an election year that sees Beijing on the cusp of unprecedented change.
Seven of the nine top members of the Standing Committee will be stepping down. 70% of China's top 200 leaders will be replaced. And in his final months in office, Mr. Hu is focusing on internal politics and the transition, setting the ideological foundations to guide a new generation of young leaders.
Some of them, like Bo Xilai, the Party Secretary of Chongching, have been openly arguing that China has become too Westernized, too materialistic, too unequal, and too untethered from its past. Bo has spoken of a return to Confucian values, encouraged festivals of communist songs from the Cultural Revolution. He speaks reverently of China's Moaist values. It is a conservative lament about the consequences of capitalism.
We've seen a bold, assertive Beijing in 2011. It spoke confidently after the crash of '08; it was tough on its neighbors. But 2012 is going to be different. Look for a more inward-focused Communist Party that is trying to slow down and control the consequences of the economic juggernaut it has unleashed.
For more of my thoughts throughout the week, I invite you to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and to visit the Global Public Square every day. Also, for more What in the World? pieces, click here.
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This article is not true. Can you image that there are 6-7 tv shows are all the same as American Idol, 4 tv shows the same as Dace with starts. 5-6 tv shows the sames as 30 rock. The government only canceled some of these. not all!!!
Even if one was cancelled, it is a militaristic and fascist approach to life. In the meantime, those that prohibit have easy access to them for their families and friends...........................very just!!!!
And Obama signing the NDAA isn't militaristic and fascist? 99% of Americans don't even know what it is or does because it was passed in near-secret while they were eating Thanksgiving dinner and signed into law on New Year's Eve. Basically, any American can be detained indefinitely for any reason without trial and without access to an attorney or any communication with family... the government can "disappear" you for any reason. Don't believe me, go read up on what is now American law.
Oh, and this is right here on American soil too.
Agree with you. What I don't agree with is the ludicrous statement in the article, "Mr. Hu worries about China's place in the free world." Duh, China isn't part of the free world, they're part of this millennium's Nazi/Fascist movement. When they end censorship, and when they end occupation/colonization of Tibet, will I think they're attempting to become part of the free world.
Don I think the Us should end the occupation of New Mexico.
I live in the West but I donot find all the entertainments in the West interesting they seem to be all about stripping clothes off and showing more fresh on the stage rather than having a great voice when comes to music of course not all like that. However, the one who wants to get famous and attention or even get the young people into their nets, they will show more fresh how boring !! Why should the Chinese society should learn about this ? I wonder...We should learn from each other about good things My good Western friends also agree with me...
This is just another way for China's power hungry leaders to remain in control. Who is the government to say they know what is best for the people? By the way, it is dancing with the STARS, not starts.
I agree with Bo Xilai, the Party Secretary of Chongching, that the Chinese are "too Westernized, too materialistic, too unequal". The economic wonder had enabled over a million Chinese to become millionaire and hundreds of millions to improve their living standard. Now it's time for them to go back to their roots and learn more of the Confucian values.
Yes because forcing your views about being "humble" is the way to go... They will depise your "morals" even more. Goes to show, independent think in china is a no no
I agree 100% Our failures are not meant for others!
I see by the way that you misspelled Edward that you are a Chinese operative.
What happens with the Chinese government and the Chinese people has zero effect on me. If the Chinese people don't like it enough, they will rise up and stop it.
Fareed Zakarian offers nothing but his biased views. It's amazing that CNN would employ a journalist who frequently writes hogwash articles about a country that he has little or no knowledge of. It's understandable that he feels compelled to criticize a country that is more successful than his native country India to suppress his own inferior root and that of India.
HAHAHAHA... your hilarious bro, absolutely hilarious...
Most likely the Chinese will start airing shows with Indians going to toilets out in the open and use their bare fingers to clean their azzes.
By the way, Fareed is still an expert at fingering azzes.
even if america has great ideas and awesome movies, it doesnt mean that all the countries in the world have to follow the same ultra capitalism way and have to broadcast 'low taste' high audience tv shows (i ll be pretty happy if our government censors flavor flav lol
Yes, true. But I don't want YOU or some idiot deciding for me and for us!!!
Why would you want a government bureaucrat deciding what you can and cannot watch? Nobody is making anybody watch hollywood movies. They are doing it because they want to.
Observation: In the US, the FCC actually does control what American's see – go read about the tricks early comedies imployed to get around the censors. The difference is that the US has been "liberalizing" television content over decades. What is socially acceptable TV in the US in 2012 wouldn't have made it through the censors 40 years ago.
That doesn't make China's decsions right or wrong – just please get off the "things are so difference in America" soapbox. They might be today, but they weren't always. (And if the ultra-conservative family values crowd had their way, it would be the 1950s all over again (See: Senator McCarthy).
That's a good start- a return of some traditional values would be well in time for US. Yet tempered with things learned since we've been on this tangent.
Oddly, perhaps, 'China's Got Talent' – the officially licenced version of 'America's Got Talent' – is still on the air. Western enough for you?
Agree with edwaz. The author got some points right. Like the one about Bo Xilai "encouraged festivals of communist songs". Both ridiculous and useless. However, just like many other articles about China, this one is full of bais (God knows what their intentions are). People in China have far less interest in those excessive TV shows that got cancelled. The cancellation has little effect, not even mention the dramatic result as the way this article tries to put it in.
Just remember, it is impossible for China to have another cultural revolution.
who cares about these shows, Chian rules the world with cheap good delivered to the world..
Goods*
*China
Frankly I don't blame the Chinese for wanting to cancel half the low-brow crap that's churned out of the USA, (and West in general) – I'd do the same here if I could. Brainless, derivative, filthy crap should be banned – good on them – but don't think young Chinese are going to lap up the "Maoist" communist stuff any time soon!
As a chronic sufferer from the mindless bilge on Canadian TV I can only warmly applaud the Chinese. They are trying desperately to save what is left of their cultural heritage from total destruction by American trash and good luck to them.
There NO such thing as free choice in this matter. The people get used to what they are provided. The more trash the media puts out, the more it debases public taste and so we just go from the gutter to the sewer.
If the Chinese restrict cultural trash and provide better stuff, the people will get to demand it.
Zakaria: do you know a majority of Chinese didn't care about the cancelations of the "low taste" TV programs? I guess you had never watched one of those shows, how disgusting they were. Your comment is pretty much based on 2nd hand biased western reports.
At least Zakaria can be critical of the system, can you same the same about yourself and your country? Try to disagree or to be minimally critical of corruption and see where it gets you.
Apparently, you have not lived in China. On average, China has 500 protests every day.... more freedom that what US is giving to the OWS protesters.
At least Zakaria can be critical of the system, can you say the same about yourself and your country? Try to disagree or to be minimally critical of corruption and see where it gets you.
This is an ongoing trend in China. Control ebbs and flows according to the sensitivity of the time (as Zakaria indicates in his analysis). Claims of too much westernisation is typically accompanied by an aggressive clamp down on cultural aspects. It is called the sino-wave policy making and implementation. Over time, the government will loosen the controls and you will see an upsurge in Western media products, which will then see another policy implemented in order to achieve a balance between modernisation and tradition. Further to this, the Chinese government has encouraged the merging and establishing of super-media organisations as a way to support domestic production of culture so as to combat preferences for western type products and to 'fill' the massive amount of airtime due to the expansion of these services over the past 20 years. There is nothing new or special here in this process. It is simply a form of cultural cleansing that peaks the interest of Western observers who see this control mechanism as anti-democratic. Strangely enough the US television system, in many ways, is more controlled then the Chinese system. The irony is that the Chinese system is more transparent about its control. Dr Ian Weber, Chinese Media Researcher.
You have a point, Dr Weber, assumed that you are truly a Chinese media researcher. These drastic measures are absolutely tentative control in propaganda for the coming political election. As time goes by, I believe that future policies shall be carried out to balance the over-weighted entertainment restrictions.
Even Americans would probably agree that television is really a bad addictive habit like smoking cigarettes, pot or opium. If people can quit the habit, they'll be healthier and happier.
Who cares if the shows are in bad taste? Low ratings should drive a show off the air, not silly mandates by paranoid bureaucrats.
Personally, I find China's emphasis on stifling Confucian nonsense far more offensive. Blind obedience to authority and unnecessary reverence for government 'father figures' does far more to crush the human spirit than dumb talent shows.
How about if the Chinese start showing shows with those typical American kowk zucking kwok zuckers such as you zucking a big black kowk? Is that a good idea, kwok head?
He is a crap Indian.
Well played ....your comment so nicely brings out the well-cultured being that you are, and the fine upbringing you were subjected to!
Right?
whoever thought to call this rubbish of American and Western TV/media productions "Culture"........... at best it could be called a pseudo-culture. Congratulations Beijing to do away with that filth and protect your young people from going down the drain of mindlessness.
Yes, and as they do that, I hope that your ideas, thoughts, expressions, disagreements on anything with anyone at anytime get judged by Chinese authorities.
I don't think Western media is getting this story right – though it may have come out as "westernisation" being the reason behind the censorship it's really not. It's because this programming is highlighting the embarassing nature of the Chinese obsession with money. "I'd rather cry in a BMW, than smile on a bicycle."
It's about preventing loss of face, and part of that is the misdirection of blaming it on "westernisation".
Chinese government is obviously not perfect, far from perfect I should say. But Chinese people, especially the younger generation, know it and are willing to make criticisim. However, no one can say that western media is trying to portrait China in a fair way. Mr. Zakaria is surely one of them.
I really don't understand some of the reactions above, like : 'they were crappy shows anyway'. Is that an excuse for censorship?
I think most western people really don't understand the value of freedom of expression and the freedom to share information.
It disturbes me that being 'too western' apparently is a reason to cancel a show in China. If the Cosby show would have been cancelled for being 'too black' or Al jazeera would be banned in the west for being 'too arab', there would be an outrage.
But when it comes too China, westerners usually accept these actions, because 'we shouldn't mess with their culture'. I wish that westerners would be a bit more proud of our values, the economic crisis is no reason to accept dictatorships.
And you wonder why the morality of western world is going down?
It's not a lack of morality that makes people irked when one set of adults decides to impose its morals and values upon another group of adults. I've never watched an episode of Dancing with the Stars or American Idol, nor do I care for the mean-spiritedness found in many of today's reality shows, but that doesn't mean I'm prepared to tell the nation that they can't watch them, or blame people's bad personal choices on "the media". Wouldn't it be great if, instead of blaming another culture for their own personal woes, they take responsibility for their own morality and rally compaigns around, say, the little girl who was left to die on a busy street while people walked by? Make campaigns to increase kindness and compassion within their own culture rather than demonizing and blaming another? This is yet another example of blaming "the other guy" for what you don't feel is right with your own nation.
Exactly what values are our TV shows showing that we should be proud of?
Since when do TV shows have to shore up 'values' at all? It's just entertainment. If you think it's dumb, turn it off.
I wish what you were saying was true but the US has more censorship than China. We just sneakier about it. When was the last time you saw a program on any TV station that dealt with a controversal subject? The networks address the needs of the lowest common denominator. It's rare to have intellectual and enlightened discussions on Western TV.
Zakaria, is a inferiority complexed indian, advocating western culture and ideas.
One of them is to put potential superpowers like china into vulgarity and disobdience. And history is a witness that a nation who is vulgar and corrupt cannot be a patriot and hardworking....
So you had to bring Zakaria's race into it?
I guess your upbringing was faultless, racism and all!
Mr. Zakaria has become an oracle of all world affiars. Unfortunately, he is simply misinformed on China's media. First of all, of the "88 entertainment shows" to which he refers, most of these shows have been cut because they have lousy viewer ratings. China has a TV marketplace many times the size of the US. China has, infact, a 90% household penetration rate for TV. Yes, the Chinese Government uses it for propaganda purposes, but it also uses it to make money. Ratings agencies in China are just as robust as they are in the US. Therefore, dozens of shows are started and cancelled NOT bucause the President has a Kumbayah speech on cultural pollution, but for the sake of what sells and what doesn't.
The other observation is that China does not just have one TV distributor. There are dozens of distributors owned or controlled by local governements and even the private sector. Besides, Mr. Zakaria does not seem to be aware of the power of approximately 400 million middle class Chinese that would rebel with their pocketbooks, as well as with their significant political power if there was a meaningful attempt at a new "cultural revolution". Any student of China would know that a public speech by a Chinese leader often addresses the opposite of what is said. In this case, President Hu is ending a very secular term of office with a final speech on China's version of "motherhood and apple pie" when he targets the good old evils of Western influences. Just remember, Mr. Zakaria, that the new President of China will be greatly influenced by his daughter who is a student at the "politically left wing (by Chinese standards) Harvard University.
Robert Theleen
Shannghai, China
The Supergirl show was very popular (as is the dating show). I am surprised that Zakaria did not mention the number one reason (perceived or real) that is discussed in China for the cancellation. In many conversations here in Shenzhen, the reason most Chinese gave for the cancellation was that it allowed call in voting, far too much a democratic value. The success of a show with people's choice was not very highly prized by the Chinese media controllers.
tv is boring anyway so who cares...
Steve jobs liked China much better than India. It's much easier to exploit labor. If American companies can continue to exploit labor, they will not mind this type of action. Middle class American professors I knew became rich by investing in Chinese companies. So, I don't think all these will get any strong reaction from west ever.
Zakaria should focus his native country India, where minorities are losing quota in jobs and voting in world's so-called biggest democracy.
Why do you need a minority quota for voting and jobs!!? The hipocrisy of you muslims is simply unbelievable!
Come on, just cut some crap shows, is it really necessary to talk about politics?
If would be great if they canceled American Idol and Dancing with the Stars!
Governments have got an important role in improving and strengthening society. That is what the leaders of humanity have done ever since the stone age. The tribes that have done it well have succeeded.
Who wants their country to be full of fat, stupid ignorant, aggressive, violent, obese and dumb people........America is a very very good example of what not to aspire towards. Economic theory shows that the low quality high volume crap dominates unless leaders make sure that quality is maintained. Good for China and Europe that their governments help their people maintain quality instead of creating fat ugly and stupid countries.
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how many Chinese TV shows are shown here in the US of A? does anyone has any idea???
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Honestly, if governments step in and have shows like American Idol, Jersey Shore and the like cancelled, I'm not going to kick up to much of a fuss, mind killing pieces of cesspit level entertainment.
But, and unfortunately this is true, censorship is WRONG. You can pass laws to have the more racy shows pay per view or more exclusive, but to completely cancel the shows ending jobs and lord knows how many millions of Middle Earth currency in advertising revenues when it should be public opinion (hopefully) doing that is not right.
Because their media is mostly state sponsored, so the government has the right to cancel any shows airing using their channel. In USA, it is mostly corporation owned, so the corporations have the right to cancel any shows as well. I cannot agree that because government cancelled shows, it is CENSORSHIP, while corporations cancel any shows. It is not
Fareed is only making a few simple observations, which may perhaps suggest a more significant underlying potential. Which is that the politics of media in China is still very much alive and well. Where they are going with it and why they are doing it will be something we can all observe and rationalize for ourselves.
Fareed, thanks for the observation, but on the surface there's really nothing much new in it. And yes, some of us are grateful for free speech, open media, and the freedom to make choices. All of which are powerful tools in a sense and should be used wisely. The real problem is that misinformation or the lack of enough valid information can make for one sided and/or poor choices/decisions. And this is obviously a significant failure on the part of media and governments.
Nothing new here either! If everyone were well informed, could cut through the nonsense, and could make rational decisions, things would change. But as proven time and again, humans can be the most inconsiderate and most wicked animals, so the process can only move forward very slowly and very carefully.
A couple of points – walk through any mall in China – all the ads & posters will show Caucasian models. Maybe 1 in 75 will be Oriental. Not TV, but hardly symptomatic of an overly controlling central government. Secondly, it certainly seems on the street as though the growth in the economy is mostly fueled by small entrepreneurs. They have a huge problem with the lack of copyrights, patents, trademarks & other small business support. On Chinese e-commerce web sites, one finds no Dealer Locator pages. Subcontracting is a rarity. Business infrastructure in China really appears to be a house of cards. I wouldn't bet on China being economically dominant in 10 years or 20 years. Unless the USA fails to produce a workable political system in the next 20 years, they will remain the gorilla in the bar.
To have morals in these days is very rare i love the way china is looking after its people and young ones, though it wont be for long as , The power of the world is lying in the hands of the wicked one, Therefore keep awake, be aware of the wolfs dressed up in sheeps clothing , keep praying your dileverence is drawing near, Jesus is the only way.
US entertainment culture >>>> Boiling Frog Syndrome culture.
China: TV shows are cancelled by the government which is largely unaccountable to the population.
US: TV shows are cancelled by corporations which are largely unaccountable to the population.
“70% of China's top 200 leaders will be replaced.” Wow! The Communist government has a higher turnover than the US Congress!
“70% of China's top 200 leaders will be replaced.” Wow! The Communist government has a higher turnover than the US Congress!
............................................................
This is the bigger news most of us here miss. Good job Cranky!
No Hollywood = No idiotic fantasies
No McDonald's = No fat people
No Facebook = No more lazy azzes
No American-style shows = No worries. Be happy
No Western influence = No more of all the above.
100 channels and nothing to watch. Why? Because most are crap.
Why so many crap shows are still on? Something seriously wrong with us.
Did the author actually watched one of those shows ? I did. I have to say, the taste couldn't go lower than that, much worse than their American counterparts ! I actually didn't believe many of those "flavors" could possibly appear in China's televisions. Honestly I hardly call those "culture" or even "western culture".
America needs an entertainment cleansing just like that,
America needs an entertainment cleansing just like that
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American has lost her value. American need a good cleansing.
Good job China!
I watched some program recently. It is truly garbage.
Hey, someone put a chink in my TV watching!!! Hahahahahahahaha.
President Hu claimed that "hostile international forces" were plotting to "Westernize and divide China."
We can say the same thing, hostile forces are plotting to foreignize the USA.
American television is full of crass, bad taste reality television. This country is so fond of professing how much we care for our children, we protect them, we have a no child left behind policy, we must teach by example. We are failing in this last. Time magazine put out an entire magazine talking about the Human Brain and how it is wired to learn and how it is a super computer. Yet, we continue to bombard everyone with images that definitely lead to ANARCHIST/ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT tendencies in the long run and we act surprised when our good kid pulls a gun on someone or when PATRIOTISM is on the brink of extinction. Unfortunately Mr. Hu is correct in protecting the values of his country as a culture. The American culture has gone off track so badly that the rest of the world sees us as the Devil incarnate. If you are American then you must not have a set of values or we are also seen as self-serving. Another sentiment I have been subjected to in my international travels is that ANYONE from America possesses no understanding of HONOR. We've done a great job in showing ourselves to be an amoral, unpatriotic, opportunistic culture.
Beijing reportedly wants to combat what it calls "excessive entertainment" and "a trend towards low taste." say what? coming from the dvd copyright Infringement capital of the world? they distribute the shows to their own people. and a trend toward low taste? isn't low taste producing products that kill people's animals and children? isn't low taste selling childrens toys with led paint on them? i guess it's ok to send the newborn baby girls down the river but you can't watch lame reality tv? china still sucks.
getting way off topic with your emotional outbursts really shows how crudely your thinking is
Maybe we can ship them all of our Green Acres and Gomer Pyle reruns so they can laugh at how stupid we are.
Better yet, ship them all copies of the GOP debates. They'll die laughing.
well...all 3 tv shows mentioned in the video are running just fine... zakaria simply ought to be more honest than that... cnn is running out of capable/credible reporters after all...
Sounds like the republicans have infiltrated the chinese communist government.
We know what we are doing and we welcome the change. Jobs wisely said once to stay foolish and to stay hungry. If you want to make a meaning comment on what we are doing, it is wise to do some kind of homework, otherwise the sense you make would sound nonsense to us.
Amazing how a certain percentage of people posting here seem like they are working for the Chinese government and are towing the party line. Say all you want about our two parties, at least they aren't the Chinese Communists.
no people are just getting fed up of the constant racist attacks on China. maybe you work for the United States government with your comments?
Joe: What attacks are you talking about? I haven't seen any.
Why is China cutting TV shows? For the same reason CNN limits responses to articles...it isn't brain surgery.
They should have a show about Rick Santorum bringing a dead baby home for everyone to play with.
Disgusting all the racist comments. NAME ONE CHINESE SHOW ON AMERICAN MEDIA before you criticize China for lack of American shows. Such hypocrisy and racism is very disturbing.
Joe: In the US, we do not censor TV shows based on their culture of origin. If there are not many Chinese shows being aired here, then it's because there is not much interest in them. See the diff?
Remember kids, the word for opinion in Chinese is "POV." No ifs, ands or buts!
Here comes the paronia. The leaders are doing whatever they can to hold onto their control and thats just what this is all about. I don't care what anyone says, this isn't about protecting chinese culture; that can take care of itself. They are taking the freedome of choice (good or bad) away from their people. Trying to turn them into mindless robots that serve the needs, wants, and petty desires of the power hungry and paronoid govt. I don't always approove of people's choices, but I do respect them (good or bad, right or wrong).The chinese people should have the right to decide what to watch on tv. Its not just the US; the whole world is filling up with stupid, paroniod, and foolish people. Many in power who don't deserve to be there.
We're apparently the most hated nation on the planet - yet everyone wants to live here and those that remain in other countries create shows that reflect "western" ideals.
Didn't US cancelled/censored the show called American Muslim?
No. But they did cancel a show about Rick Santorum. It was called American Hitler.
america should follow suit and cancel most tv programs. they are low order and quality cheap. they cheapen our culture.
good going china. smart move.
now, if only u.s. will follow.
Republican, eh ?
What, no more 'I Wuv Wucy' TV shows?
Seems there are a lot of Chinese counter-comments on here trying to legitimize what is, in essence, government censorship and a move to bring China back to the Iron Curtain days. Fine by me, let them shrivel back in to the dark ages when the "Great Leap Forward" pushed them ten years back. They make nothing but garbage, have state-run hackers trying to break into our information network infrastructure to spy on American citizens they deem a threat to their communist government, and have a long list of not only human rights abuses against their own people, but against journalists and other foreign visitors. I worked there for a while and hated every minute of it. They have no regard for human lives, but have a love of money that surpasses Western materialism 10-fold. So the government takes away a few TV shows, big deal. The Chinese government has already taken away their souls.
This is the same place that demands you get approval from the government to REINCARNATE. Not only that but recently they banned any use of time travel in fiction. No, I'm not making this up and couldn't if I tried.
Helooo McFly??
thats so they dont make people like you
I agree that western TV shows are vulgar good move china.
The moral decline not only in America, but around the world, has a direct correlation to the anti-culture propagated by the western media. Kudos to China ...
People in America may be, given the current popular discourse about the encroachment of the Military Industrial Complex (aka Capitalist Imperialism), that the economic and military influence of the US and NATO (aka the "west") is the sole reason for tension between cultures. However, the "cultural" exports of the west are just as offensive, just as harmful, both to their own societies and to the world at large.
Why does CNN even bother paying attention to China? They are a communist country and, therefore, not worthy of our time.
Because it's a good idea to pay attention to one's creditors?
Because America is too worried that the day its domination of world culturally will end soon as its economy. Actually not dominating not necessarily a bad thing for the people -northern European counties are examples.
"Imagine if you flicked on your television and found that the government had cancelled American Idol, 30 Rock, The Office, and Dancing with the Stars..." – please, how can we make that happen?
and China is trying to purchase a large amount of Facebook's stock..
Bo Xilai sounds like a modern-day version of the Dowager Empress.
China needs to give up this censorship stuff, they need a Chinese Playboy in publication. They treat their Adult population like Children...
You probably non't mind let your 10 years old son read playboy. I do. On this respect I applaud chinese government.
Agree with everyone else. American shows are in the slums, nothing good about the so called "American culture". Dear author, FOCUS ON MORE IMPORTANT THING such as the US elections or military reduction...complaining about another country's lack of TV shows just make you look dumb.
PS. STOP CENSORING COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FREEDOM OF EXPPRESSION, NOT ON CNN......
It is good for us to report on things outside of the U.S., because some of us rely on reports like these to make international career decisions. Stop being so selfish with your news media. One of American's problems is that we are too self absorbed, you have proven this once again. Your complaints sort of make you look dumb.
....Self absorbed....This must be your first time on CNN....The US isn't self absorbed enough, if it was all your problems wouldn've been solved a long time ago, ignorant fool!
What people are not talking about is that this shows that the chinesse dont want american ideas and products to develop in china OHH but wait we buy everything from them and they manipulate their currency.FAIR???
The fact is that we dont need CHINA AT ALL, pass immigration reform build factories that are more robot oriented rather than man power and china will collapse in 6 years. Anohter thing is that we need canada for resources
Fareed Zakarian offers nothing but his biased views. It's amazing that CNN would employ a journalist who frequently writes hogwash articles about a country that he has little or no knowledge of. It's understandable that he feels compelled to criticize a country that is more successful than his native country India to suppress his own inferior root and that of India.
Mr. Zakarian, what about explaining the caste system to American audience? And where do you fit in on that caste system? I would bet you hail from somewhere down below the caste system since you dare not even once criticize the country India and its culture.
wish they would cancel some of the bs shows here
china is a country with human rigths violations, they rule their people in a dictatorial way, have you seen the kungfu movies that come out from there their just as violent as their goverment.
That is just movie. The true violence have been in Iraq and Afghan. People were blow up in wedding party, on the road and in their home.
I wish the U.S. government would pull all those damn Wives shows, Bachelor/Bachellorette, and American Idol.
How about the chinese government just leave the shows alone and on the air but let "me" decide what I want to watch ?
No Tv =more babies=good luck
"too Westernized, too materialistic, too unequal, and too untethered from its past." That is majority view in China, if not a consent. The restriction maybe inconvenient. But maybe necessary to limit the explosive growth of garbage on the air. Nothing come without a cost. For sure china is seeking a balance of free speech and guarding against attack on her tradition al value and culture. I am for it but hope the country will look deeper than just TV program. There should be a ban on luxury imported car for high-ups using tax payer money. It is ridicules that so..many of them are on the road today.
I often read that there is a real danger of unrest all over China if and when GDP growth drops under 9 % per year. I think the cultural centurship, the aggressive stance in the south china sea and even the threat of reneging on the one country two systems pledge for Hong Kong all point towards a deep concern of the authorities in China about unrest and protests. And maybe with good reason !
First of all, is Fareed Zakaria able to write any article that isn't designed to bash a 'rival'/enemy of the US in some way?
Secondly, how did that man get so hideously ugly? He looks like a half-baked Michael Jackson.
Like all government interference communist, totalitarian or democratic, this "initiative" will have the opposite intended effect. To appreciate entertainment that is more "culturally" Chinese, it has to be more entertaining to the viewer. You can't "force" someone to like something. Rather than grow and mature, their entertainment industry will shrivel and the the best talents will find a way to leave for "greener" pastures. Artists especially, will either leave if they can or produce the pseudo art or "art sarcasm" so prevalent in the "old" communist era that the old feeble minded rulers are trying to dredge up. The result will be the same as the "worker propaganda films" that the "loyal" party members used to watch so they could be seen watching by the loyalparty boss, so they could be promoted so they could get previledges the "ordinary" worker couldn't get. Even with all their censorship, this world is way too connected for that to work – unless they they decide to follow North Korea and totally isolate themselves – but then trade would stop, industry would stop, money would stop, food would stop and the golden revolution would start (red failed).
with intellectual property rights barely enforced in china, i wonder if the chinese can download bootleg torrent copies of the very same shows their leaders cancelled...
COUNTER FITED DOLLARS AND IRAQI DINAR DONE BY IRAN
علم هدهد سليمان ومن مصدر امني مهم , أن هناك طائرة نقل إيرانية تحط أسبوعيا في مطار النجف الاشرف وهي محملة بالمليارات من الدنانير العراقية المزورة من إيران وبعد ذلك يتم نقل هذه المليارات من الأوراق النقدية العراقية المزورة تحت حماية أمنية مشددة وبإشراف عدد معين من كبار المسئولين في أحزاب الائتلاف الوطني إلى البنك التجاري العراقي فرع النجف الاشرف لغرض إيداعها به , ومن ثم سحب البديل عنها بالعملة الصعبة والتي تقدر بالمليارات من الدولارات ثم تحمل سراً بنفس الطائرة لتقلع بها إلى طهران . this is a fact every week an Iranian plan fly to iraq and directly to najaf province not baghdad in this najaf province the evil province in iraq , this plan brings billions of Iraqi dinars faked Iran dinar from iran and exchange it with USA dollars in janaf under the watch of al hakeem and al maleki group, bringing billions of dollars back to iran and then give to Syria , Russia and Hezbollah. WHY USA DONT DO NOTHING , WHAT IS THE USE OF SANCTIONING IRAN AND KEEPING THE EVIL IRAQI PRIM MINSTER DOING THIS EVIL DEEDS WAKE UP OBAMA
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