# List of films banned in China

This list details banned movies that are not allowed to be shown in cinemas, TV stations, or on the Internet in China because they are accused by the government of the People's Republic of China of violating relevant laws and regulations, or because of other political factors.
Article 24 of China's "Regulations on the Administration of Movies" stipulates that "films that have not been censored by the film censorship agency of the State Council's administrative department of radio, film and television (hereinafter referred to as the film censorship agency) shall not be distributed, shown, imported or exported.

## Definition

The following is as broad a definition of a prohibited film as possible, and one of the following definitions is considered a prohibited work.
* Illegal films are defined in Interpretation of Regulations on the Administration of Movies as "films that have not been approved for public exhibition by the competent state administrative authorities," or "banned films" in the common sense. Such films have not been censored or have skipped censorship, such as being entered into overseas film festivals without being submitted for review, or having illegal content or process.$^{:p.58-59}$
* In 1994, the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television issued the "Notice on the Prohibition of Supporting and Assisting Zhang Yuan and Others to Make Films and Post-Processing", in which the illegal films mentioned in the file were marked as XXX. This was a ban on the production of films by drama groups; or the media used XX as the name of the film instead.
* Zhang Xianmin, "The History of Banned Films in Mainland China after 90": Banned film, is a title. A prohibited film. The range of prohibited actions are as follows.
* Prohibition of filming
* Prohibition of distribution
* Prohibition of publicity
* Prohibition of the person concerned to continue working in the film industry, etc.

## Banned films
### 1949–1995

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese film industry was reconstructed after the Soviet system, and the film production and distribution system was implemented in a "government-enterprise" manner, producing and distributing films according to administrative directives. After the films were produced, they were censored by the Film Office or a higher state agency, and the films that passed the censorship were acquired by government-run distribution and projection companies for nationwide distribution and screening.
| Title | Time | Director | Actor | Description | Douban Page |
| Sorrows of the Forbidden City 清宫秘史 | Released in 1948 (Hong Kong) Released in 1950 (China) Banned in 1950 | Zhu Shilin | Shu Shi, Zhou Xuan, Tang Ruojing, Hong Bo | The film was made by Hong Kong Wing Wah Pictures in December 1948 and started to be screened in Beijing and Shanghai in March 1950, but was banned on May 3, 1950, because Mao Zedong called it a "traitorous film". | 1439106 |
| Sun and Man 太阳和人 | Banned in 1981 | Peng Ning | Liu Wenzhi, Huang Meiying | | 2200853 |
| Wind of early summer 初夏的风 | Banned in 1982 | Peng Ning, He Ping | Wang Mingming, Shen Hong | The film was shot in 1982, but was later banned, the reason for which is still unknown. | 4154640 |
| The Blue Kite 蓝风筝 | 1993 at Foreign Film Festival | Tian Zhuangzhuang | Lü Liping, Pu Quanxin, Li Xuejian, Guo Baochang | Filmed in 1992, the film involved several political movements in the early years of the People's Republic of China, and was entered into the 1993 Tokyo Film Festival without passing the censorship. The Chinese film delegation boycotted by withdrawing from the festival. | None |
| To Live 活着 | 1994 | Zhang Yimou | Ge You, Gong Li, Niu Ben, Guo Tao, Jiang Wu | The film was banned the same year of its release due to how it portrays events such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. | 1292365 |
| The Gate of Heavenly Peace 天安门 | US premiere in October 1995 | Carma Hinton, Richard Gordon | Dai Qing | It deals with the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, which is considered a sensitive topic in China. The documentary was strongly boycotted by Chinese officials, who demanded that the film be withdrawn from the New York Film Festival. When negotiations failed, the Chinese side withdrew their entries and the Chinese directors withdrew from the competition. The documentary was only screened in Hong Kong. | None |

### 1996–2001

During this period, the "Regulations on the Administration of Movies" began to be implemented. In addition to the fact that the production unit must review itself before submitting it for review, it must also submit it to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) for the filing. Films that have been shot or imported from foreign countries will all be submitted for review, and only after approval can a "Film Public Screening Permit" be obtained. Chinese films are shown in gray background and ordered chronologically.
| Title | Year | Director | Actor | Status | Banned Description | Douban Page |
| Seven Years in Tibet | 1997 | Jean-Jacques Annaud | Brad Pitt, David Thewlis | Official ban | The Chinese government believes that it distorts the facts and vilifies the PLA, and has published examples on the China Tibet website: the PLA generals did not fly to Tibet, and there are no Tibetans who died by the end of the film (the total population of Tibet is only 1 million according to local government statistics). | None |
| Red Corner | 1997 | Jon Avnet | Richard Gere, Bai Ling, Bradley Whitford | Official ban | The Chinese government believes the film degrades the image of Chinese justice. The State Administration of Radio and Television (SARFT) sent a memorandum to Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and sent a letter to major Chinese studios requesting not to cooperate with MGM/United States, which produced Red Corner, arguing that the said film "maliciously attacked China". | None |
| Kundun | 1997 | Martin Scorsese | – | Official ban | The film was banned for depicting China negatively in relation to annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China. The Dalai Lama is considered by China a separatist leader and a threat to Chinese control on the Himalayan region, and officials objected to a positive portrayal of the Dalai Lama. Disney produced and distributed the film despite objections China voiced during production, causing China to issue a temporary ban on all Disney films. The ban ended in 1999 with the release of Mulan, and the studio issued an apology during the early negotiation process to build Shanghai Disney Resort. | None |
| Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl 天浴 | 1998 | Joan Chen | Li Xiaolu,Lopsang | Prohibition of filming | The content involves sensitive subjects of the Cultural Revolution and contains nude scenes. Joan Chen was banned from filming for three years for "illegally making films and participating in exhibitions abroad". | None |
| Inside the DMZ 北纬38度线 | 2000 | Wei Lian, Shi Wei, etc. | Ding Xiaoyi, Zhang Yiming, etc. | Prohibition of screening | The Korean War film was shot at the August 1st Film Studio. The film was not screened together with the Chinese Central Television's TV drama "Resisting the U.S. in Korea", which was produced in the same year. | 10535442 |
| Suzhou River 苏州河 | 2000 | Lou Ye | Zhou Xun,Jia Hongsheng | Prohibition of screening | On September 7, 2000, the film was released in Hong Kong and won the Golden Tiger Award at the 29th Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Best Film Award at the 15th Paris International Film Festival. The film was banned by the SARFT from being screened in mainland China because it was not submitted for review and joined the foreign film festival. | 1299661 |
| Kiss of the Dragon | 2001 | Chris Nahon | Jet Li,Bridget Fonda | Prohibition of screening | There was information that the film was planned to be released in China, but it was not released allegedly because of the controversial murder scenario. | 1299335 |
| Shaolin Soccer 少林足球 | 2001 | Stephen Chow | Stephen Chow,Zhao Wei,Ng Man-tat | Prohibition of screening | The film is a co-production and is prohibited from being shown in mainland China because it was released in Hong Kong before it was approved by the SARFT. The main producers of "Shaolin Soccer" have also suspended the various film businesses of Hong Kong Xinghui Company [zh] and Huanyu Company [zh] in the mainland. | 1297747 |

### 2002–2017

The new version of the Regulations on the Administration of Movies, which came into effect on February 1, 2002,$^{:p.29-30}$ adding prohibited content, and added a detailed and lengthy explanation for this in the Interpretation of the Film Management Regulations.$^{:p.55-58}$ Chinese films are shown in gray background. Sorted chronologically.
| Title | Year | Director | Actor | Status | Banned Description | Douban Page |
| Blind Shaft 盲井 | 2003 | Li Yang | Li Yixiang, Wang Shuangbao, Wang Baoqiang | Unlicensed and prohibition of screening | Considering that it was impossible to pass the review, the director decided to shoot the film on his own, and was subsequently banned from screening, and the director himself was regarded as an "outcast". | None |
| Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life | 2003 | Jan de Bont | Angelina Jolie,Gerard Butler,Ciarán Hinds,Simon Yam | Unpassing of review | The reviewer told the media that he thought the film maligned the Chinese people, Chinese culture, and Chinese society. China became the only country in Asia to ban the film. | 1307657 |

### After 2018

After 2018, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) issued the Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions. To reflect the basic characteristics of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the film work of the SAPPRFT was handed over to the Central Propaganda Department for unified management, and the China Film Administration (CFA) was formally established.$^{:25}$
| Title | Year | Director | Actor | Status | Banned Description | Douban Page |
| Missing Johnny 強尼·凱克 | 2018 | Huang Xi | Lawrence Ko, Rima Zeidan, Sean Huang | Prohibition of screening | Because Lawrence Ko was accused of being a pro-Taiwan independence artist, the crew had confirmed to the distributor that the film was prohibited to screen, and the Taiwan Affairs Office also confirmed the news at a press conference. | 26930782 |
| Detention 返校 | 2019 | John Hsu (filmmaker) | Gingle Wang and others | Prohibition of publicity | The film touches on white terror politics. | None |
| Do Not Split 不割席 | 2019 | Anders Sømme Hammer | Demonstrators and some scholars in the Hong Kong protest | Prohibition of publicity | The reason for the ban was related to the protests in Hong Kong, and because the documentary was selected for the Academy Awards, the Propaganda Department of the CCP ordered major media to keep a low profile and cancel the live broadcast. The CCTV suspended the live broadcast of the Oscars. | None |
| Nomadland | 2020 | Chloé Zhao | Frances McDormand, David Strathairn and others | Passing of review Prohibition on screening | The film was originally planned to be released in China in April 2021. Later, because director Zhao Ting was involved in the scandal of insulting China, Nomad Life was collectively boycotted by the Chinese people, so it was withdrawn before the release. | 30458949 |
| Revolution of Our Times 時代革命 | 2021 | Kiwi Chow | Seven different groups of demonstrators participating in the Hong Kong protest | Unlicensed | The documentary concerned the Hong Kong Independence position, which was regarded by Beijing as a slogan for Hong Kong independence because of four words in the title revolution of our times. Kiwi Chow already known himself violated the law, so he did not submit it to the OFNAA [zh] for review, nor did any major media in China report it. | None |
| Turning Red | 2022 | Domee Shi | Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, and others | Prohibition of publicity | Refused classification for its indecent content as China only allows age-appropriate films to be released. | None |

## Unbanned films

| Title | Time | Director | Starring | Unbanned Introduction |
| The Life of Wu Xun 武训传 | Released in 1950 Banned in 1951 Unblocked in 2005 | Sun Yu | Zhao Dan | On May 20, 1951, the People's Daily published an editorial entitled "The Discussion of the Film 'The Life of Wu Xun' Should Be Taken Seriously", which criticized the film for promoting bourgeois reformism. Director Sun Yu and actor Zhao Dan both wrote self-critical articles about the film, and dozens of other people also made self-criticisms. In mid-November 2005, at the "Film Retrospective" held at Shanghai Film Art Center in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of Zhao Dan's birth, "The Life of Wu Xun" was publicly screened as an "internal screening", which was considered by the media to be the first appearance of the film since it was banned for many years. On March 15, 2012, the film was released for the first time by Guangdong Da Sheng Culture Communication Co., Ltd. for public sale, but the cover of the box set was deliberately labeled "for research" to avoid the residual political risks. |
| In a Twinkling 瞬间 | Produced in 1979 Released in 1980 | Zhao Xinshui | Liang Boluo, Huang Mei-Ying, etc. | The film was produced by Changchun Film Studio in 1979. The script was written by Peng Ning, He Kongzhou and Song Ge. The Ministry of Culture shelved the public screening of the film because the Air Force thought that it vilified the image of the army and might affect the recruitment of the Air Force. In November 1980, to coincide with the public trial of Lin Biao and Jiang Qing, the Ministry of Culture screened "In a Twinkling", but the film was quickly downgraded because the audience was too small. |
| Boat People 投奔怒海 | Banned in 1980s DVD release in 2008 | Ann Hui | George Lam, Andy Lau, etc. | The film was banned in mainland China due to violence against Vietnamese refugees and its anti-Communist sentiments. It was also banned in Taiwan because it was filmed on Hainan, an island in the People's Republic of China. In 2008, a Hong Kong version of the DVD was introduced in China. |
| The Emperor's Shadow 秦颂 | Short release in 1996 Unblocked after more than a year | Zhou Xiaowen | Jiang Wen,Ge You,Xu Qing | In July 1996, the CMPC decided to release "The Emperor's Shadow" in five cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Chengdu, and on the fourth day of its release, the relevant people ordered the film to be disposed of. On the next day, the relevant documents were sent to all the authorities, and all distribution, screening and promotion activities were stopped. The Emperor's Shadow then disappeared from Chinese cinemas and media. A year or so later, the film was released from the ban and was broadcast on China Central Television, and is available on the Internet as a legitimate source.。 |
| Mr. Zhao 赵先生 | Released in 1998 DVD release in 2006 | Lü Yue | Jiang Wenli,Shi Jingming,Chen Yinan,Zhang Zhihua | The film was not released in China. The original DVD was published by Guangzhou Audio and Video Publishing House in 2006. |
| Beijing Bicycle 十七岁的单车 | Produced in 2000 Approved in 2004 Premiere in 2013 | Wang Xiaoshuai | Cui Lin,Li Bin,Gao Yuanyuan,Zhou Xun | To participate in the Berlinale, the film went abroad for the competition before receiving the approval, and was banned from theatrical release in China for violating the relevant regulations. The film was renamed "Bicycle" in 2004 and passed the audit, but it was never screened because many people had already seen it on pirated discs, etc. In 2013, as a follow-up to a commemorative event, the film had a special screening at a film center in Beijing. |
| Devils on the Doorstep 鬼子来了 | 2000 Overseas participation 2002 Overseas Screening | Jiang Wen | Jiang Wen,Kagawa Teruyuki,Yuan Ding,Jiang Hongbo | The film was not approved to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, in violation of the relevant regulations. The SAPPRFT found that the film "violated history" and "exaggerated the ignorance, insensitivity and servility of the Chinese people", and that "there was a serious deviation from the basic intent". It was first screened in Japan on April 27, 2002. The film can be viewed on China Central Television's CCTV website and other video sites. |
| The Da Vinci Code | Short release in 2006 DVD release in 2006 | Ron Howard | Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno | The film was taken down by the Chinese authorities 20 days after its release, and a spokesman for Shanghai United Cinemas received a notice to stop showing the film, which the BBC reported was boycotted by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. The film is now being sold on DVD. |