I’m a little surprised you can even get a movie released over there. For one thing they banned time travel, something about it being disrespectful to history. They’re also against depicting homosexuality, which seems strange when you’re a country that’s been trying to reduce childbirth. Talking animals are also banned. Ghosts are banned, because this has something to do with the the afterlife and religion I think. Also zombies. Dystopian settings are banned. Movies that are scientifically inaccurate are also banned, which seems like this is unevenly applied given most Hollywood movies are made by people who never paid attention in science class.
I get why you would ban political dissent and anything less than glorification of the nation when you’re an authoritarian government, but this is a bit much. They also ban graphic violence, sex, nudity, and adult language, because they apparently need to treat every citizen like a child. They even banned some Winnie the Pooh movie, for unexplained reasons. I hope bootlegs are still a thing over there, because these censors sound more easily triggered than Twitter.
They’re kind of half-assed communists though, the only part of that ideology they kept was the oppressive authoritarian part. Imagine something like the Iron Man movies, where the main character is an industrialist, getting released in the Soviet Union.
No, they are Thoroughly Communist, though and though. Capitalism as you see it exist on TV in China only exist in special Economic Zones and not allowed out side of theses Zones. All the millionaire and billionaire Chinese you see are members of the Party, you aren’t going to see people who aren’t members of the Chinese Communist party with wealth privilege.
Even the Soviet Union decided it’s in their best interest to let some outside influences come in and have some exports out. Sesame Street and Pespi examples of Western products allowed in the Soviet Union.
A lot of what the Chinese Government want the West to see is a facade to keep up appearances and prestige.
Chinese Government allows Western Films as it distracts the populace from whats going on and the stresses of daily life, its a means of controlling the populace and is nothing new. The Romans did this with Chariot Races and Gladiator matches 2000 years ago. Also if you didn’t notice only a very, very small and select portion of Western Media is allowed into China, the exact number isn’t heavily enforced as they allow exceptions to pass their (normally) hard limit of how many films gets in each year if the film serves the Party’s interest or national interests. Like the Disney live action Remake of Mulan was one of those exceptions; a Chinese national Actress, who publicly supports Chinese Government Policies, playing a Chinese Folk hero is going to get the Green Light.
Also Real Talk, The Chinese aren’t the only ones who censor films.
Example
Simply put, the guy literally wielded power in China to block all memes/jokes/mockery of him depicted as Pooh. At least here we have the freedom to mock our politicians but there? naw you’ll get taken to the shadow realm and mostly likely never return.
Do you even know how to google? Most the stuff relating to why the do what they do is very open and public knowledge. Like, I don’t know why you find China being the way it is so confusing.
Authoritarian is the word you’re looking for. Economic systems don’t necessarily equate to political ones, and communism doesn’t have a monopoly on authoritarianism. Just look at the many wannabe strongmen looking to exert that level of control on states that aren’t communist.
