(Bloomberg) -- Chinese regulators summoned gaming companies including Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Netease Inc. to discuss further oversight of the industry and the need to deemphasize profits, prompting a steep share selloff.Tencent, the country’s largest gaming company, dived as much as 6.7%, on track for its biggest fall since July, while smaller rival Netease fell as much as 7.7%.The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, the National Press and Publication Adm
Here's the actual circular: http://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2021/9/2/art_113_57756.html
It also targets idol culture, but they're using that as an excuse to enforce some really harmful toxic masculinity.
Article three, where the NRTA demands that media organisations (translation by DeepL):
Resolutely resist pan-entertainment. We should firmly establish cultural confidence and vigorously promote the excellent Chinese traditional culture, revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture. Establish the correct aesthetic orientation of the programme, strictly control the selection of actors and guests, performance style, costumes and make-up, and resolutely put an end to perverted aesthetics such as "sissies". Resolutely resist the tendency of pan-entertainment such as speculation on ostentatious wealth, gossip and privacy, negative hotspots, vulgar "net celebrities" and bottomless ugliness.
Is disgusting and harmful.
It's using the classic nazbol take that not conforming to traditional gender roles is bourgeois counterrevolutionary decadence (with the added chinese context of the conspiracy that the west is trying to make chinese men effeminate for ???? reasons) to discriminate against people who don't conform to traditional gender roles.
Chinese Gov/Media should have never used the word "Niangpao/娘炮". A term that IS derogatory BUT NOT anti LGBT. Netizens have pushed back before online at the use of the term.
China has gone after vapid celeb culture which includes the 'idols' & capitalist-created “beauty norms”
State reforms of the entertainment industry include:
No employment of Criminals.
Capping of sky-high payments for stars.
Ban on programs raising idols or employing stars' children.
Setting up lists to encourage fans to purchase items or pay members fees to support idols.
Punish industry tax evasion.
Crackdown on internet media platforms pursuing clickbait.
Banning minors from participating in reality shows.
No idol competition programs.
Programs shouldn't promote an incorrect representation of beauty.
Ban on showing off wealth.
+more
Instead, this is being spun by corporate media to attempt to use LGBT as a weapon.
So a sweeping anti-corruption reform bill for China’s entertainment industry is passed that contains in part of it what seems like a poor choice of words. I say “seems like” because I’m not a native speaker of Mandarin, so have to go off of what I’ve read from those who are.
The majority of the bill then isn’t mentioned by most western media or provided for context, but the word used is then seemingly mistranslated and then begins showing up in multiple articles about China “cracking down on effeminate/girly men”.
That checks all the boxes to me of another propaganda exercise, which is extremely frustrating because it sounds like China shouldn’t have used that word to begin with.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it even started with journalists being lazy and putting the bill through an online translator instead of having it actually translated by a native speaker. I understand any of us doing that, but a paid journalist reporting on the story should have known better.
In a notice Thursday, the National Radio and Television Administration listed a range of ideological and physical traits for artists working in the cultural and entertainment industry, banning those with “incorrect political views,” “wrong moral standards,” and “wrong aesthetics,” referring to “sissy” male actors deemed too effeminate.
I absolutely agree that the rest of the circular is pretty cool, that 娘炮 isn't necessarily associated with non-straight sexuality in China, and that US corporate media will go out of its way to portray the CPC in the worst possible way, but I don't think that changes much about what I'm saying.
Legislating against men presenting "too effeminate" in media on the grounds that it's perverse and counter-revolutionary is extremely harmful and not something a communist party should ever do.
Legislating against men presenting “effeminately” in media on the grounds that it’s perverse and counter-revolutionary is extremely harmful and not something a communist party should ever do.
I 100% agree with this and if that is actually what is occurring here, then that is unacceptable. I’m just noticing the same patterns as previous “china bad” media campaigns which has made me go:
That's bullshit.
Here's the actual circular: http://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2021/9/2/art_113_57756.html
It also targets idol culture, but they're using that as an excuse to enforce some really harmful toxic masculinity.
Article three, where the NRTA demands that media organisations (translation by DeepL):
Is disgusting and harmful.
It's using the classic nazbol take that not conforming to traditional gender roles is bourgeois counterrevolutionary decadence (with the added chinese context of the conspiracy that the west is trying to make chinese men effeminate for ???? reasons) to discriminate against people who don't conform to traditional gender roles.
The word translated to “sissies” there is "Niangpao/娘炮", correct?
Twitter thread on this, notable quote:
Another thread on Niangpao, mentioning its association with facial reconstruction surgery, particularly the “double eyelid” surgery popularized in South Korea.
Another pretty good thread.
Thread discussing Chinese stars who would be affected if this is actually as drastic as it’s being portrayed in western media. Contains good criticism of the Chinese governments word choice as well.
So a sweeping anti-corruption reform bill for China’s entertainment industry is passed that contains in part of it what seems like a poor choice of words. I say “seems like” because I’m not a native speaker of Mandarin, so have to go off of what I’ve read from those who are.
The majority of the bill then isn’t mentioned by most western media or provided for context, but the word used is then seemingly mistranslated and then begins showing up in multiple articles about China “cracking down on effeminate/girly men”.
That checks all the boxes to me of another propaganda exercise, which is extremely frustrating because it sounds like China shouldn’t have used that word to begin with.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it even started with journalists being lazy and putting the bill through an online translator instead of having it actually translated by a native speaker. I understand any of us doing that, but a paid journalist reporting on the story should have known better.
I haven't seen anything to suggest it's a mistranslation.
Sixth Tone a CPC outlet, translated it the same way writing:
I absolutely agree that the rest of the circular is pretty cool, that 娘炮 isn't necessarily associated with non-straight sexuality in China, and that US corporate media will go out of its way to portray the CPC in the worst possible way, but I don't think that changes much about what I'm saying.
Legislating against men presenting "too effeminate" in media on the grounds that it's perverse and counter-revolutionary is extremely harmful and not something a communist party should ever do.
I 100% agree with this and if that is actually what is occurring here, then that is unacceptable. I’m just noticing the same patterns as previous “china bad” media campaigns which has made me go:
:fry: