Censorship, or the act of restricting the expression of certain dissenting or non-sanctioned views, represents a profound problem in many countries throughout the world. Although all governments arguably employ this tactic to an extent, some undoubtedly have a habit of suppressing their people more than others. China stands as a prime example of one such country. Denying any semblance of free speech to its 1.3 billion people, China’s various restrictions on expression, specifically in regards to music, are too myriad to denote in one essay. This writing will simply aim to discuss several separate egregious instances of Chinese censorship and briefly evaluate some possible reasons behind this oppression. Our first example of artistic censorship
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From famous folk singers like Cui Jian (whose music inspired the protesters at Tiananmen Square) to the rap group IN3 (a popular hip hop trio in China), the government has informed various musicians on what they can and cannot cover in their music. Topics deemed to be “politically sensitive” or “obscene and vulgar”are not permitted in music in order to serve, according to the government, the best interest and welfare of the public. The government even went as far as establishing a banned song list on August 10, 2015 that outlawed the performance or playing of 120 songs (it has since been updated to include even more).
One could probably dedicate a lifetime to documenting all of the cases of Chinese censorship and not cover half of them. However, that person may accomplish more by attempting to understand an immensely complicated but important question : Why does the Chinese government insist on maintaining complete control over creative expression, and how long will these restrictions persist? In order to accomplish that, one must take a look at the history of the current Chinese regime and examine the mechanisms that allow it to remain in …show more content…
Becoming official in 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) wasted no time in imposing Mao’s ideals on the people. These ideals cultivated a devotion to Mao (and by extension the central government) that demanded limits on expression. Although the communist regime has undergone many changes since Mao’s death, such as implementing certain free market/capitalist ideas to allow China to compete with and eventually outpace other world powers in economic growth, the expectation of holistic acceptance of the rightness of the government remained. This expectation of conformity has been drilled into the heads of people for generations. The government can maintain the status quo through brute force, as is evident by events such as the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Unruly novelists, orators, spiritual leaders, poets, and musicians of any sort have been repressed since the birth of the communist government until present day, and the status quo has persisted for so long (courtesy of ruthless enforcement) that many Chinese simply are unable to actively pursue meaningful
From famous folk singers like Cui Jian (whose music inspired the protesters at Tiananmen Square) to the rap group IN3 (a popular hip hop trio in China), the government has informed various musicians on what they can and cannot cover in their music. Topics deemed to be “politically sensitive” or “obscene and vulgar”are not permitted in music in order to serve, according to the government, the best interest and welfare of the public. The government even went as far as establishing a banned song list on August 10, 2015 that outlawed the performance or playing of 120 songs (it has since been updated to include even more).
One could probably dedicate a lifetime to documenting all of the cases of Chinese censorship and not cover half of them. However, that person may accomplish more by attempting to understand an immensely complicated but important question : Why does the Chinese government insist on maintaining complete control over creative expression, and how long will these restrictions persist? In order to accomplish that, one must take a look at the history of the current Chinese regime and examine the mechanisms that allow it to remain in …show more content…
Becoming official in 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) wasted no time in imposing Mao’s ideals on the people. These ideals cultivated a devotion to Mao (and by extension the central government) that demanded limits on expression. Although the communist regime has undergone many changes since Mao’s death, such as implementing certain free market/capitalist ideas to allow China to compete with and eventually outpace other world powers in economic growth, the expectation of holistic acceptance of the rightness of the government remained. This expectation of conformity has been drilled into the heads of people for generations. The government can maintain the status quo through brute force, as is evident by events such as the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Unruly novelists, orators, spiritual leaders, poets, and musicians of any sort have been repressed since the birth of the communist government until present day, and the status quo has persisted for so long (courtesy of ruthless enforcement) that many Chinese simply are unable to actively pursue meaningful