China Just Banned Hip-Hop Culture and Tattoos on Television

The Chinese media regulating arm released a new set of rules officially banning hip-hop culture and tattoos on local television.

According to Sina via Time, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT) prescribed a regulation which “specifically requires that programs should not feature actors with tattoos [or depict] hip-hop culture, sub-culture (non-mainstream culture) and dispirited culture (decadent culture).”

The rules outlined by the director of the administration’s publicity department, Gao Changli, on Friday disallow local TV to feature actors who are not morally aligned with the ruling party.

Under the policy’s 4 Don’ts:

Absolutely do not use actors whose heart and morality are not aligned with the party and whose morality is not noble.

Absolutely do not use actors who are tasteless, vulgar and obscene.

Absolutely do not use actors whose ideological level is low and have no class.

Absolutely do not use actors with stains, scandals and problematic moral integrity.

The new ruling reportedly comes after prominent rapper Zhou Yan, also known as GAI, was abruptly removed from Hunan TV’s hit reality talent show “Singer”. The TV station’s official YouTube channel also removed all footage featuring the artist without any official explanation provided.

Earlier this month, another popular rapper Wang Hao, also known as PG One, was heavily criticized for his song “Christmas Eve,” which allegedly promoted insults against women and drug culture. He was forced to apologize for it.

Following the new regulation, Chinese rapper Mao Yanqi, also known as VaVa, was abruptly removed from a local show, while songs by underground hip-hop artist Triple H was taken down from major streaming sites.

Local netizens have decried the ban, criticizing it for being unfair to the artists and their fanbase.

Feature Image via Instagram / pgone, and YouTube / glxoyxd2003

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