Título: Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Seção: Chinese responses
Background: Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 American epic drama film based on the novel Memoirs of a Geisha, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. Directed by Rob Marshall, the film was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by Columbia Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures; the latter was given studio credit only. It stars Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, Suzuka Ohgo, and Samantha Futerman. Production took place in southern and northern California and in several locations in Kyoto, including the Kiyomizu temple and the Fushimi Inari shrine.

Conteúdo: The film received some hostile responses in Mainland China, including its banning by the People's Republic of China. Relations between Japan and Mainland China were particularly tense due to two main factors: Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a number of visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors all Japan's war dead, including some who were convicted war criminals, which was denounced by China's foreign ministry as honoring them; and China helped to ensure Japan did not receive a seat on the UN Security Council. Writer Hong Ying argued that "Art should be above national politics". Nevertheless, the release of Memoirs of a Geisha into this politically charged situation added to cultural conflict within and between China and Japan.  The film was originally scheduled to be shown in cinemas in the People's Republic of China on February 9, 2006. The Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television decided to ban the film on February 1, 2006, considering the film as "too sensitive". In doing so, it overturned a November decision to approve the film for screening.  The film is set in Japan during World War II, when the Second Sino-Japanese War was taking place. During this time, Japan captured and forced Chinese women to serve as "comfort women" for their military personnel. Controversy arose in China from an apparent confusion of equating geisha with prostitution, and thus the connection with, and reminder of, comfort women being used in Japan at that time.  Ne

user: How did China respond to the film?

assistant: The film received some hostile responses in Mainland China,

user: Was it allowed to be shown in China?

assistant: its banning by the People's Republic of China.

user: Where was the film set?

assistant: The film is set in Japan

user: Is there a time period it was set in?

assistant: during World War II, when the Second Sino-Japanese War was taking place.

user: What was it about?

assistant: Chinese women to serve as "comfort women" for their military personnel.

user: Anything else of note in this section?

assistant: Controversy arose in China from an apparent confusion of equating geisha with prostitution,

user: Was it shown in Japan?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Did it end up being shown in China theatres at all?

assistant: considering the film as "too sensitive". In doing so, it overturned a November decision to approve the film for screening.

user: Did the media publish any stories about the movie or controversy?

assistant: Newspaper sources, such as the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post and the Shanghai Youth Daily, quoted the fears that the film might be banned by censors;