Various topics are uncomfortable for people, and they don’t think it is appropriate to show them in public. When there is a clash of opinions in the audience, it creates controversy. Many countries have strict censorship boards, and they always have a political agenda behind it, like the country China. China has a rigid censorship board for its films. They don’t allow those movies which criticize China or involve the LGBTQIA+ community, violence, etc. So, here is the list of top 10 Chinese films that faced controversy upon release:
1. City Of Life And Death (2009)
City of Life and Death is a 2009 drama film on the Battle of Nanjing. The film takes place in 1937 during the Second World War. It took one year for the film to get approval from the censor board. Despite being a hit film, it faced controversy in China for showing the sympathetic role of the Japanese soldier. The director of the film got death threats online.
2. To Live (1994)
To live is a 1994 drama film on the life of a couple who try to survive in changing times of China. The film is set between the time of 1940s during the Chinese civil war and to 1970s during the cultural revolution. The film was banned in China because it portrayed the policies and campaigns of the government in a bad light. However, the film is now available on online platforms in China.
3. Ten Years (2015)
Ten years is a 2015 drama film consisting of five short films on what the country will be like in the next ten years. Because the director talked about China's politics in the movie, the government didn’t allow anyone to write about this film unless they badmouth it. In China, the Hongkong film awards were not allowed to be telecast on the screens because Ten Years won the Best Film award.
4. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 drama film about two opera actors in China. This movie is about the long-term friendship of Shitou and Douzi, who went through many ups and downs during the period of China's social instability. At first, China banned the film. But after some time, because of the backlash, it was released with many cuts. The government opposed the movie because of the representation of homosexuality and criticism of the communist period in China.
5. East Palace, West Palace (1996)
East Palace, West Palace is a 1996 drama film about a gay writer A-Lan and a police officer Xiao Shi. Being homosexual is not criminalized in China, but the police used to arrest homosexuals in the name of hooliganism. China banned the movie because of the portrayal of homosexuality.
6. The Chinese Botanist’s Daughters (2006)
The Chinese Botanist’s Daughters is a 2006 drama film about a student and teacher’s daughter. The film takes place in the 1980s Or 1990s. The movie is about two women attracted to each other, but they must keep their relationship a secret. Because the film is on homosexuality, it was not allowed to shoot in China, so they shot this movie in Vietnam.
7. Happy Together (1997)
Happy Together is a 1997 romantic drama film about a gay couple, Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai. The film is about a couple who decides to go to Argentina but breaks up because of their differences. The intimate scenes in the movie have been for some audiences. And the poster of this film was banned because of the nudity.
8. The Blue Kite (1993)
The Blue Kite is a 1993 drama film on the life of a family in China during the 1950s and 1960s. The film was banned in China by the Chinese government. Because of its portrayal of the Hundred flowers campaign, the Great leap forward, and the Cultural revolution. And the director of this film, Tian Zhuangzhuang, was banned for ten years from making films.
9. Postman (1995)
Postman is a 1995 drama film about a postman named Xiao Dou. The film is about a shy postman Xiao Dou who reads letters from strangers, and he gets so invested in the letter that he starts to intervene in their life. There was a filmmaking ban on the director of this film. So he smuggled the film out of the country and finished the movie outside the country.
10. The Eight Hundred (2020)
The Eight Hundred is a 2020 war drama film on the real-life incidents of the Battle of Shanghai and the Second Sino-Japanese war. This film is about the eight hundred soldiers who fought against the Japanese soldiers on the Shanghai battlefield. This film was delayed for various political reasons by the censor board for one year. The film was supposed to be out in 2019, but it got released in 2020.
