BEIJING: A campaign to curb “excessive entertainment” by slashing the number of racy programmes on Chinese satellite television channels has been successful, state media reported, after President Hu Jintao warned Western culture was out to attack China.
The broadcast regulator ordered the two-thirds cutback in October, taking particular aim at dating and talent shows, programmes featuring “emotional stories” and those of “low taste”.
As of the end of last year, satellite channels had begun showing programmes that “promote traditional virtues and socialist core value”, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday, citing a statement from the regulator.
The regulator “believes that the move to cut entertainment programming is crucial in improving cultural services for the public by offering high quality programming”, Xinhua added.
The government has long struggled to promote what it believes is a healthy cultural environment, in contrast to more brash television shows and movies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the west which circulate widely online and via pirated DVDs.
In the latest issue of the ruling Communist Party’s top theoretical journal, “Qiushi,” which means “Seeking Truth”, President Hu warned that the country must promote its own culture over “westernisation” promoted by hostile forces. (Reuters)
“We must clearly be aware that international enemy forces are stepping up their strategic plots to westernise and split our country,” he wrote.
“The fields of thought and culture are important sectors they are using for this long-term infiltration. We must clearly recognise the seriousness and difficulty of this struggle, sound the alarm bell … and take effective measures to deal with it.”