Chinese Authorities Excoriate Court Dramas Like Yanxi Palace for Promoting Bad Values, All Court Dramas Pulled From Current TV Schedules

When something is too popular it’s bound to get backlash in still communist ideology controlled Mainland China, bucking up against tighter controls over social and policy restrictions. The biggest C-drama of 2018 was by far Story of Yanxi Palace, followed by another court drama Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace. The two were quite similar in central depictions of a cunning female lead plotting her calculated rise to power in Qing dynasty court. Yanxi topped all buzz rankings for months on end and both dramas continue to be replayed in Chinese television even after ending it summer 2018 airing, but not anymore.

All court dramas have been pulled immediately from airing on Chinese TV stations after a news article in the Communist party official paper sharply criticized Yanxi and Ruyi and the general spate of court dramas for promoting values of extravagance, glamour and pleasure seeking of past ruling classes (i.e the rich plotting to get more powerful) over frugality and hard work (i.e. physical labor of the common people). The article also called out the producers of such dramas for putting their own profits over creating content showing poor examples rather than provide a positive spiritual guidance to viewers. For the time being, court period dramas have been stamped DO NOT AIR like time-travel dramas from 5 years ago during the craze getting prohibited.


Comments

Chinese Authorities Excoriate Court Dramas Like Yanxi Palace for Promoting Bad Values, All Court Dramas Pulled From Current TV Schedules — 37 Comments

  1. Lol. This is insane. Sometimes the logic of C-govt is unfathomable. Always seeing the negative sides of things.

    Yanxi is extremely popular because of the feminism plot. The main protagonist is smart and independent while continue to value kindness and justice. I don’t remember Yingluo pursuing wealth at all and that she strived to climb up the social ladder was to upheld justice. Ofc, there were the backstabbing and all as most commonly seen in dramas for the sake of dramatization and entertainment. Viewers are not idiots to not be able to think for themselves, to differentiate right and wrong though there are idiots that exist in every society too.

    So, now expecting to watch only C-dramas with fantasy plots, flowers diety, semi-gods and what else. Yawn Yawn Yawn.

  2. While I was getting sick of palace intrigue dramas over the years, I actually enjoyed yanxi palace. How ironic that government officials children can go around pleasure seeking in their fancy cars n houses, wasting away money but there’s another set of standards for common folk. Some animals are somehow more equal than others.

  3. It’s become increasingly difficult for k drama to be noticed much in China these days also i have noticed from visits…Once one of S. Korea’s biggest exports must be suffering.

  4. Well, being told by the state what you are allowed to watch is probably still better than being put into a concentration camp in Xinjiang.

    • Lolzzz , and the China ‘s ambassador have the gut to say they put thousands of those people in Uighur area in concentration camp to “maintain the safety, well being and security of those people”. ????. Well what I’m expecting anything from the Chinese government??(
      Put people into concentration camps to “protect the interest” of those people….. Hahahaha,

      • Glad you mentioned this Ta because if you’re informed and abreast of China’s dismal Human rights records you’ll be watching these dramas with a conscience and wondering if you’re in support of their actions by doing so. I stopped Yanxi at episode 5 which I must admit I was loving every minute and moreso the writing because set ups to conflict were paid off within a couple of episodes so that was refreshing and Young Luo the protagonist was brilliant in masterminding her way through the ranks of the palace. The supporting cast were great too but when I read of the Chinese Muslims plight in Uighur that was it. No more C dramas for me. That’s my contribution- silent protest.

      • Do you know Uighur people in the big cities are responsible for a lot of crime and knife attacks? The young kids are taught they are allowed to do that because they are minority and can’t get locked up over 24 or 48hrs. Every time I go back to China, especially around CNY, it is always watching out for yourself in case of being robbed; and being taught if u are robbed, give it to them, as the next thing is being stabbed. They are let out, u might die.

        It has created havoc! Sometimes they are correct in locking people up! Sometimes they are overboard. But until you been in the situation of having these people follow you on a street and you half running off to get help, you won’t get why.

        Shitty gov for ruining drama, but locking people up due to being a threat, yes please. Maybe this year I won’t be terrorised like a few years ago.

      • @Ginger crunch : kudos to you 🙂 ?
        I never think it’s humanity to lock thousands of people into concentration camps( everyone with a number( remind me that much of those camps mention in “Man search for meaning” by Victor E.frankl)), satellite everywhere you go,
        People were forced into labors and only follow orders. Initially the C-government lies about those are for vocational schools, but they forgot people now living in modern society with technologies that its easier to expose the truth.
        Thought the definition of concentration camps only happened during Nazis and World War II, but there is still exist nowadays,
        Hope they will find peace and will to live on day by day.

        Sorry but

      • @emily and @abc I do apologise if you find my post to be anti Chinese; it’s not. It’s anti sentiment aimed at the Chinese Communist Government and their ‘detainment’ of a minority group of Chinese citizens namely Ughyur Muslims and having them reindoctrinated with Communist Party teachings- and held against their will I find really incredulous. Your replies imply it’s justified and necessary action and needed to keep general society safe from harm…oh no it isn’t! Oh hello? It’s called persecution. Please read up on it and be informed it’s not nice reading at all. I replied to Jana a few posts down regarding my stance on what is happening and I stand firm.

      • @Ginger Crunch, Yes your comments are anti-Chinese. China is a massive country and someone here is comparing them to Nazi. That’s like me saying all Americans are gun killers!

      • @Abc – Please re read my post and again re read it and I’ll reiterate no it’s not anti Chinese like my disclaimer said I’m anti Chinese Communist Government. Totally different point raised. The Government; the ruling party I’m against what they currently instigated against the minority Chinese Uighur Muslims. Nope wasn’t me that likened the practice to Nazi Germany but the statement has an element of truth to it. Do me a favour and please google ‘China Ugihurs and what you need to know about the Muslim crackdown’ and enlighten yourself. Cultural genocide is prevalent in China and if you are denial then that’s an issue you need to deal with. My eyes are wide open and so is the truth. Please don’t take this out of context with your remark that ‘All Americans are gun killers’ that’s totally irrational.

    • Why were they put in those camps in the first place??? If they weren’t bombing Chinese people in China the government wouldn’t need to do that but of course the western media likes to portray the C-government as the evil guys. We still watch American films even though they caused a lot of pain in many wars.

  5. I know right? It not exactly a court drama. I hope it won’t be affected. Ugh! The last thing I needed to stress out my day.

  6. At least this proves how popular Yanxi Palace is there. China doesn’t like a drama to be more popular than its government. That’s always been the case.

    • China is weird IMO.

      To think of how Korea appreciate and celebrated dramas that made people around the globe appreciating their products and culture more ie Dae Jang Geum, DOTS, Goblin whereas in China, the govt trashing a drama that made records and intriguing a lot more interest in their culture is so beyond fathomable to me.

      So, those coming up court dramas “Dream Back to Qing Dynasty” and Yanxi’s spin-off are all at risk.. Thankfully, I can still get to watch “The Legend of Hao Lan”.

  7. The demonization of China is a favorite sport of the West now that China is seen as a threat to their domination of the world for the last 200 years. I am not a supporter of China. Just want to point out the US has a concentration camp in Gauntanamo bay , has over 200 military bases around the world and wrecked havoc in the middle east causing untold suffering in Syria , Libya, Iraq, Afganistan, Yemen etc etc . No one is the good guy in this quest for world domination by the super powers be it China, Russia, US or Europe. We never learn from history ….we just repeat it. ….

    • Yes but Jana for those of us that live in a free world and are lucky to experience democracy then I guess I owe my very existence to USA and Great Britain and their allies who fought for my very freedom back in WW 2. So that said I’m a staunch supporter of everything that allows me my right to pursue independent free thought and liberties something that China does not practice and yes they are a threat with their ideological and political pursuits resulting in cultural genocide. Tibet?

    • Yes, China’s ideology is a threat to the west. They hate the communist and yet this country has proven to them they can get rich within 40 years of joining the WTO. How did they do this? By intellectual property theft and not opening up their country to free trade. That is the real problem of China. On the hand, the west which is all about freedom of speech now realise too much freedom isn’t so good. Instagram is being accused of promoting suicide to young people and if they don’t control it they will be banned.

      • Oh okay Abc you’re making out that the West are jealous of China’s status? Well China has done amazingly well if not better but I’m not going on about their economic success I’m about their shocking dismal human rights records and if that is a consequence of their power then it really does suck ten fold if you’re still here justifying their actions. People are dying for their cultural and religious beliefs; they are being persecuted what part don’t you get?

      • @Ginger Crunch, your first post stated you will not watch any C-drama so that is where I got a sense of your anti-Chinese. Not all C-dramas are Chinese government funded, if they were then it be boring. Also, before you accuse me of pro-genocide I am aware of what is going on with the Uighur in Xinjiang. These people have been living there for many years and they were never locked up so why recently?? If you look at other parts of China, anyone who protests against the government is locked up and brainwashed or kicked out of the country forever. It’s good that your highlighting the plight of Uighurs but how about the others in China?

      • They locked up since 2014 and the situation got intensified under Chen Quanguo who is also in charge of Tibet Autonomic regions. That speaks volume of the whole cascade, I guess.
        People have been talking about it since 2017, rising up in 2018, toward end of 2018, it doesn’t matter if it is exposed sooner or later, the fact is there is concentration camp and in there people were treated inhumanly.

        since the topic was brought by someone (hjw) about concentration camps, that’s why we mention it. I never associate China with Nazi, please read my post. I have a phobia with the term “concentration camps”. I adore Chinese culture, and cuisine but I never can fathom the inhumanity of communist party.
        Chinese Communist party has done tone and tone of unjustified, inhuman action towards its own people. Do we need to mention ” Tiananmen Square massacre” ??? It was the history, the shameful history that the Chinese communist party forever want to suppress.

        Let me close MY debate with the quote: “The World is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it”- Albert Enstein.

      • @Abc – Okay you’ve admitted that anyone disagreeing with Government policy they are either locked up and brainwashed or kicked out of the country. You forgot one thing though – they’re also persecuted as in killed. It’s a known fact. Why are you still in denial? And to ask me why the Uighur Muslims are being rounded up recently do you not know why? Seriously please refer to BBC and Reuters News which offers extensive coverage as to why. Read up on it please.Plus you’ve admitted to other ethnic minorities in China are suffering the same fate would you like to share who they are?

      • @Ta, good quote. Yes, where are the people when Burma sent their military to burn Rohingyans, when Russia sent troops to Chechnya and when Saudia Arabia killed their reporter?

        @Ginger Crunch, as an avid reader of the BBC news, I am sure if they had better evidence of prosecutions that goes on in Xinjiang they will show it. I don’t doubt for a second prosecution goes on there since the country still has the death penalty and Deng Xiao Ping himself ordered the Tiananmen crackdown. The West and especially America tends to be only interested in their own political gain.

      • @Abc – So please advise who are the others in China being persecuted? And you gotta be kidding you want better evidence of persecutions taking place in Xinjisng? You are just sad and very oblivious.

      • @Abc: really??? Really??? is that all you can come up ?? are you pretending to be ignorant or are you just trying that hard to justify Chinese communist party. If for the ladder, you don’t have to explain, I know your motives clearly. Seriously, don’t need to respond to me.
        How do you, and the whole world know about Rohingya, conflict between Russia and Chechna, and Jamal Khashoggi got killed??? THROUGH NEWSSSSSS,

        So is the same with Xinjiang,

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