China has a long list of extraordinary things that their censors have banned. More recently, the TV show South Park has landed itself on that list because one of their newer episodes criticized Chinese censors, and included footage of the Hong Kong riots. This new act of censorship shows the lengths China is willing to go in order to cover up the events happening within its borders.
This list shows some of the things China has banned, many of which are harmless.
- Winnie the Pooh
Used as a form of protest and mockery, the Chinese government banned Winnie the Pooh after citizens began to compare the president to the cartoon character saying that they looked alike.
- Peppa Pig
If you’ve been living under a rock, Peppa Pig is a children’s cartoon show and its main character, Peppa Pig, is beloved among children. In China however, she has taken a different form and is now affiliated with gangster activities and was banned by the Chinese censors.
- Puns
“Cultural and linguistic chaos.” That is, according to the Censors, what word play brings. It also apparently breaches the law on standard spoken and written Chinese, making promoting cultural heritage harder. It also may mislead the public in their eyes, especially children.
- Christmas
In 2018, China began to crack down on non-traditional religions such as Christianity and started taking apart in arresting underground churches and pastors. For this reason, Christmas was banned because it was “taking away from Chinese culture.”
- Violent Video Games
This definitely isn’t the first time we’ve heard of parents being concerned about video games corrupting the minds of children, but China decided to take this idea to new lengths. Some games are banned because they include digs towards the Chinese government as well.
