广电总局再次检查抗日战争电视剧

China's media regulator is ordering a re-check of TV series reflecting the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression between 1937 and 1945.

The State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has ordered provincial-level TV stations to send war-related dramas they've purchased back to the institution for rechecks.

It also says TV dramas which are "overly dramatic" will be banned on prime time.

Jin Liwei says on bjwb.bjd.com.cn:

The over-exaggeration or even mocking of the war against Japanese invasion during WW2 teaches the audience inaccurate history and affects them negatively, especially the children. It leads them to believe that Japan was not China's equal and China won the war with little more than passion, patriotism and a few martial arts warriors and guerrillas. The negative influence exerted by such TV dramas will be far-reaching.

Dong Bihui on qjdaily.com.cn says:

History is a serious subject and any tinkering with it must be treated seriously. It's true that we need films and TV series to fuel our love of the motherland and commemorate the martyrs who died repelling invaders. But shoddily made, surreal and irresponsible ones can only be counterproductive. They ignore history and insult the intelligence of martyrs by showing them defeating unbelievably unintelligent enemies. Thus, they take the glory out of our hard-won victory.

Director Bai Haibin says on ctdsb.net:

War-themed TV dramas are popular because scriptwriters have a limited number of themes to choose from. In addition, since they're mainstream and positive, such dramas can get through the authorities' review much more easily than their counterparts based on other themes. This makes many writers want to do such scripts, and the only way to attract the audience's attention is to make their scripts extremely dramatic. To solve this problem, I think the administration should gradually loosen its grip and approve more scripts displaying the negative side of society.