China Cracks Down on TV Time Travel

In case you’d forgotten that China is run by an insane and oppressive communist regime, Chinese television censors issued a decree against TV dramas in which characters travel back in time, claiming that such series promote “feudalism” and “superstition.” So relax, geeks: China won’t be adapting “Doctor Who” any time soon.

In a statement (available here in Chinese) dated March 31, the State Administration for Radio, Film & Television said that TV dramas that involve characters traveling back in time “lack positive thoughts and meaning.” The guidelines discouraging this type of show said that some “casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation.”

The guidelines, which fell short of an outright ban of such dramas, seem to have come in response to a series of popular programs about protagonists drifting back to ancient times. For instance, in “Palace,” one of China’s hottest TV series, a woman falls in love with a Qing dynasty painting, travels back in time and then falls in love with several princes. [What a slut. -Ed.] [NYT ArtsBeat]

Reached for comment as he materialized on a horse next to Genghis Khan, Scott Bakula said, “Oh boy.”

×