China: Entertainment industry told to create “healthy” cartoons and remove vulgar and violent content

New moralistic clampdown on China’s entertainment industry.

China’s entertainment industry has been told to promote “truth, goodness, and beauty” and to remove violent or vulgar content.

Chinese regulators have encouraged online content producers to make “healthy” cartoons and to remove violent, vulgar, or pornographic content.

The National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局) said Friday that since children and young people are the main audiences for cartoons, qualified agencies must broadcast content that “upholds truth, goodness, and beauty.”

In recent months, Chinese authorities have stepped up a campaign to clamp down on the entertainment industry, taking action against “online idols” who encourage illegal or immoral behavior.

The campaign is part of a broader remodeling project that intervenes in every cultural and economic aspect of the country. The Chinese government’s goal is to tackle inequality, cool real estate prices, and for-profit educational institutions.

The campaign has lashed out at some reality shows guilty of promoting “sissy” men, calling on content producers to resist “abnormal aesthetics,” “vulgar performances” and “decadent morals.”

China banned celebrity rankings and targeted ‘chaotic’ online fan clubs to clean up increased doxing and trolling. In August, a Chinese media outlet branded online games “spiritual opium” before issuing instructions for video game companies to put in tools to prevent minors from playing outside 8 and 9 p.m.

Chinese authorities appear to be very careful in reshaping the minds of Chinese minors through crackdowns on content not considered morally acceptable. According to Chinese authorities, the ephemeral contents produced by Chinese online media are not perfectly compatible with the values promoted in Xi Jinping’s China.