A photo from the show Day Day Up (April 12, 2010). Photo: CFP
The Ministry of Culture recently said in a statement that songs that "harm the security of State culture must be cleaned up and regulated under the law," and on Saturday sent music websites its latest blacklist of 300 songs that fall into this category. Tracks from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and several Asian artists will be removed by September 15 unless the record labels submit the songs for official approval, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
It is not the first time that authorities have restricted entertainment. Earlier, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) regulated local satellite televisions from broadcasting TV dramas related to spying, criminal cases and romance in China during May, June and July.
Recently, they have targeted Happy Camp and Day Day Up, two of the most popular entertainment programs in China from Hunan TV, which have suddenly had to replay past shows from a few weeks ago rather than air new ones, an action that has stirred up heated debate among the public, according to Changsha Evening News.
"Was the replay of the two programs due to the restriction on entertainment programs launched by SARFT?" asked Jiang Honghong, a fan of Hunan TV that produces the two popular programs, while expressing her doubt to the Global Times.
Calls on Sunday from the Global Times to the SARFT went unanswered.
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