China Bans Foreign Cartoons
SARFT Forbids International Toons From Airing From 5 to 9 P.M.
Feb 22, 2008 Dominic von Riedemann
Starting May 1st, China's ban on foreign cartoons just got another hour.
According to BCDb, the country's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced on Wednesday that they have added another hour to their "foreign cartoon-free zone" on domestic children's and cartoon channels, extending the zone from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The current ban, which the regulatory body instituted in September of 2006, extends from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the "golden hours" of Chinese television. Since that ban was put in place, foreign cartoons had a much smaller presence on Chinese TV.
It also led, according to SARFT, to Chinese animation houses producing 101,900 minutes of cartoon footage, up 23% from 2006's total of 81,000 minutes.
Foreign Cartoon Ban Designed to Encourage China's Domestic Product
The move is an attempt by SARFT to encourage the production and support of domestic cartoons, which had been hammered by foreign produced serials like The Simpsons, from the U.S., and Japan's Astro Boy.
A poll conducted in August of 2006 showed that 80% of Chinese schoolchildren preferred to watch foreign-produced cartoons rather than domestic product.
This new extension to the ban will "enhance the SARFT's management over cartoon programs and will create a favorable environment for the domestic cartoon industry," according to a circular distributed by the State-run regulatory body. SARFT also instituted stricter guidelines for their approval of domestic cartoons during the "golden hours" between 5 and 9.
In addition to extending the ban on foreign cartoons, SARFT also decreed that the ratio of domestic product to foreign shows on China's television channels be increased. Under the new regs, 7 out of 10 shows aired on Chinese television must be produced in China.
Even though American shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons have been an irritating presence for SARFT, the true target of this ban is the prolific Japanese anime industry, which had a stranglehold on Chinese TV since 2000. Astro Boy was the first anime to appear on Chinese cartoon channels back in 1981, and has been a continuous presence since then.
As before, foreign and Chinese co-productions will require approval from SARFT before they are allowed to air on Chinese television's "golden hours." Sino-foreign co-productions (usually Chinese companies collaborating with studios from Taiwan or Hong Kong) will also have to jump through SARFT's censorship hoops in order to get air time.
One such Sino/Hong Kong co-production is Cyber Weapon Z, a cartoon television series based on the manhua comic by Andy Seto.
In addition, state, local film, TV and radio departments get to vet these productions before they are approved for broadcast.
Fun Fact: Ironically enough, the current underdog status of Chinese animation can be directly attributed to the so-called "Cultural Revolution" from 1957 to 1976.
Fearing middle class and intellectual resistance and reeling from the misguided policies of the Great Leap Forward, Communist party chairman Mao Zedong instituted a purge of all intellectuals, religious figures and "liberal bourgoisie." As members of two out of those three groups, animators were forced from their jobs, and many were assaulted by gangs of Red Guards. The Cultural Revolution would leave millions dead, the Chinese economy in shambles, and bring the country to the brink of civil war.
Cyber Weapon Z manhua cover
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