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Tattooed Entertainers to be Banned from TV Appearances

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19 January, 2018, and at the regular press briefing by the State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT), Director of the Publicity Department, Gao Changli, called on radio and television producers to adhere to the “four don’ts” when it comes to inviting guests to appear on programming.

The administration reportedly also wants in place new regulations to make the above more specific, including disallowing appearances from entertainers sporting tattoos (radio stations take particular note), along with avoiding any “elements” from hip-hop culture, subculture and decadent culture.

The rules are summarised as wishing to avoid four types of individuals from making media appearances:

1. Those at odds with core values of the Party and who lack high moral standards.

2. Those who are indecent, obscene or vulgar.

3. Those with a low ideological level and being without class.

4. Those embroiled in scandal or those with moral issues.

People all over China have been taking to social media to voice their opinions, largely in opposition to the plans.

The Nanjinger put the proposals to Zhang, who runs Hua Ran Tattoo (南京花染纹艺) in Nanjing. He commented, “Tattoos only represent culture and beliefs and some meaningful things to commemorate. Tattoos do not represent darkness and violence or anything dirty”.

On the face of it, the directive can also be thought of as more of a reminder to make stringent enforcement of a policy that has been in existence for some time. On the practical side, however, one glance at a rogues gallery of the entertainment world reveals Chinese media may soon have a pretty small short list from which to draw their guests. 

Turning down David Beckham is going to be tough.

It is not the first time that ad hoc, ideological policies have jarred with the populace.

In 2010, the then State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) banned the use of English abbreviations in Chinese media. Media outlets were directed to stop using foreign letters and acronyms in news announcements, news reports and subtitles after several national legislators and political advisors called for the preservation of the Chinese language’s purity. There was also a fear that, left unchecked, the proliferation of English abbreviations may make programmes unintelligible to some people. Opposers to the ban claimed, that the abbreviations were employed merely for brevity; F1 being quite a bit faster to say than 级方程式赛车锦标赛” (Formula One Championship).

A second glance, this time at Nanjing’s very own JSBC (one of whose two buildings in Gulou does not even use the Chinese at all), is enough to see how successful that particular campaign was.

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