Dream Tropes Wiki/Banned in China

Template:TropeSometimes the government can outright ban a work from being consumed in their country. It usually happens in very authoritarian countries whose governments try to micromanage what their citizens can see. But even in more liberal countries, public pressure on retailers or broadcasters can lead to an effective ban on the work (although sometimes — but not always — you can get around it by importing it from somewhere else).

Works that get this treatment tend to be excessively violent or sexual in nature, criticize or mock the country or its government, or otherwise depict behavior that might undermine the government's authority. The more authoritarian and paranoid the government, the more works get censored.

This kind of thing is often associated with the government of the People's Republic of China, hence the name "Banned in China". But the trope name is actually a modern twist on the older term, "Banned in Boston" — the city was once a bastion of Moral Guardians, particularly given the Puritan and Catholic influence, and a local "benevolent group" known as the Watch and Ward Society held immense sway over what could be displayed or sold in the city. Nowadays, Boston is considered a bastion of liberal politics in the US. China has taken up the city's mantle, given its frequent (and often arbitrary) censorship of anything it finds contrary to government policy or "harmful to the Chinese youth".

Compare New Media Are Evil, No Swastikas, Media Watchdog, and Moral Guardians. Bowdlerization can happen if the government requires substantial content editing before allowing the work to be imported.

## Anime & Manga

* Doraemon was banned on Circlia due to being "stupid, foolish, teaching wrong things and being idiotic" for some reason, but ban was lifted in 2014, clean version was made and aired it on Disney Channel and Disney XD.
* Tamagotchi! animes are banned in Yoräsek following Gozarutchi, Kunoitchi, Kashiratchi and Okugatatchi's hoods and/or mask scared too much Yoräsekian.
	+ As a result, GreenWarp (one of two channels broadcasting the anime in the country) protested the ban, claiming that just because some characters wear ninja outfits doesn't mean the entire anime can be banned.
	+ On a similar note, episode 62 was pulled from GreenWarp in the Republic of Juan Carlos due to Atsuatsutchi and Sabusabutchi, two boys, sitting beside each other. In the Republic of Juan Carlos, if students are to be seated beside each other, they must not be male/male due to it being seen as taboo there, but male/female and female/female are allowed.
		- Following this, all schools in the republic put up posters and signs regarding the episode, and how Atsuatsutchi and Sabusabutchi are seated in it. Nowadays, the episode is often mentioned and/or shown (usually clips showing Atsuatsutchi and Sabusabutchi at their desks) when teachers in the republic discuss seating charts.
		- *You Got Me! Octodogtchi's Secret* also had the scene with Octodogtchi answering a math problem edited to remove Atsuatsutchi and Sabusabutchi not knowing the answer to the given problem for the same reason.

## Fanworks

* Players in Russia were quite upset when they learned that an issue of the popular doujin web comic *The Drillimation Doujinshi* was not available in their language. The issue featured Konata Izumi and Kagami Hiiragi in a romantic relationship and one panel showed them kissing, but only their silhouettes were depicted. If the comic language is changed to Russian however, an error message will display in both English and Russian, saying "We apologize, but according to Russian gay propaganda laws, we cannot share this issue to our readers in the Russian Federation."

## Live-Action TV

* *Sons of Anarchy* was nearly banned from broadcast on TTV in El Kadsre when someone showed a gunfight scene from an episode to Westborough High School massacre survivor Thunder Lion, who's reaction sparked a national moral panic over the showing of "graphic violence involving weapons of war" on television.
* The *ABC 20/20* special "Last Days on Earth" was banned in El Kadsre after protests against the episode were waged by Kadsreius Shinto groups (in Kadsreius Shintoism, it's forbidden to predict or speak of the end of the world).

## Literature

* The *Remnants* novels were banned in El Kadsre after Kadsreius Shintoists pressured the government into banning them due to the first book depicting the end of the world. A couple other novels also dealing with the end of the world were also banned for the same reason.
* *The Romanya Chronicles* novels were banned in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China and British Raj during World War II due to its pro-Japanese sentiment. While the ban was lifted on 1946, the series remained banned in China until 1980.

## Music

* All of The Sex Pistols' songs were banned from the radio in the Vlokozu Union in every part of the country except Romrac.
* "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke was banned on public radio stations in Kuboia on 1st November, 2013 since it was considered inappropriate. Beforehand, it had reached #29 on the Karuboia chart.
* John Lennon's song "Imagine" was banned from airplay for a while in the Vlokozu Union due to being "pro-socialist and anti-religion".

## Film

* *Finding Dory* was banned in North El Kadsre after the government declared it "environmentalist propaganda".
* A handful of extremely explicit or "unapproved for release" films, such as *Megan Is Missing*, *A Serbian Film*, *Sausage Party*, *Seeking a Friend for the End of the World*, *Freakonomics*, *Faces of Death*, *Goodbye Uncle Tom*, *Children's Island*, *Love Camp 7*, *Deep Impact*, *When Worlds Collide*, *Blood Sucking Freaks*, *Conquest*, *Africa Addio*, *2012*, *Cannibal Ferox*, and was *Cannibal Holocaust* were all banned in El Kadsre on their initial release (*When Worlds Collide* was made in 1951 but banned in 1983). While *Conquest* and *Cannibal Holocaust* have since been released (albeit with *Conquest* having *all the gore cut*, thus turning it from a weird medieval action movie with typical Lucio Fulci gore into just a weird medieval action movie and making it's status as a Lucio Fulci movie pointless), the rest remain banned. Some films were banned for other reasons (*Deep Impact*, *When Worlds Collide*, *Seeking a Friend for the End of the World* and *2012* because the censorship board feared they would offend Kadsreius Shintoists, *Goodbye Uncle Tom* and *Africa Addio* because they were considered "highly racist").
* *Saved!* was nearly banned in El Kadsre until Template:W proved the censorship board wrong by saying it wasn't pro-atheist.
* *13th* was banned in El Kadsre for "promoting an anti-consumerist message".
* In 1992, the Vustrelan government banned *Melampaui Warganegara Shan*, a documentary created by Asher Ritonga critical of Vustrelan media Mega-Corp Media Vustrela; it even compared VTV's owner with the fictional Wangsa Shan. Media Vustrela has been accused of pressuring the government to ban it.
* *Bionicle VI: Island of Doom* was banned in the Soviet Union for a brief time due to the similarities of the Chernobyl disaster. It was lifted later that year and released on November 21, 1986.
* *Star Wars* is banned in Azara, Kronezia and Tasanala, It made everyone, not interested in it, hear a person's voice saying "Star Wars!" multiple times in their head when they see it.

## Internet

* Momo challenge has banned due to game challenge of suicide. Anyone who starts a Momo challenge in Alexonia, Barokia, Gau, Helvmark, Jetania, Kuboia, Qualicia, Schelipoerys, the Kadersaryinan Islands, and the El Kadsreian Islands must be reported to the police.
* In Clyohraira, Trimaka, Uhajut, Cavazetista, and almost all countries in the Kalmyod Islands, they banned the "#teamtrees" trend, because it was environmental propaganda, all videos that contains anything related to the trend were all filtered out by the governments.
* Ecosia was banned in Clyohraira, Trimaka, Uhajut, Cavazetista, and almost all countries in the Kalmyod Islands, because it was also environmental propaganda for having their buildings using alternative energies.

## Video Games

* *Manhunt* has been banned in El Kadsre as "exessively gory" by the El Kadsre Film and Game Rating Board.
* *ROBLOX* is banned in the UZA after invading UZA's store of memes, which OOF was the only one in the store.
* Both *Gal\*Gun* games were banned in El Kadsre due to sexual exploitation of underage women, which is outright illegal by the Ministry of Culture.
* *Sonic R* is banned from Mobuis because it started the "Tails Doll" thing.
* *Bully* have been banned in Qualicia due to too violence, sexual harassment, and inappropriate for the most of children and parents.
* It took two decades since the inception of the *Super Smash Keyboards* series to get banned in South Korea and Germany. It even got refused classification in Australia after the Nude Tsukasa mod came out.
* *Pokémon: Sword and Shield* have been banned in Ringia, Tasanala, Scratchia, Yuru-charaia, Discoland, Zoytex, Xentang, Franoreaimate, Harris and Rastvania due to this game being most disliked game in E3 2019.
* *Cookie Run* have been banned in Tasanala due to annoying designs.
* *PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds* have been banned in Huntaria, Kronezia, Orca Island and Yoräsek by the government and president due to violences and harmful to players.
* *Fortnite* is banned in Circlia and Tasanala due to kids being addicted to it and not wanting to go to school. It also makes losing friends

## Web original

* One episode of *The Angry Video Game Nerd* never made it to El Kadsre. The Atari Porn games episode was deemed too controversial for its AO rating, so it had to be scrapped altogether. Although it can still be viewed on Cinemassacre's website, attempting to view it on the El Kadsreian version returns an error message stating, "In accordance with El Kadsreian law, we cannot show this episode to our viewers in the United El Kadsreian Nations."
* *Elsagate* (also known as Elsa and Spiderman videos) has banned in Alexonia, Barokia, Gau, Helvmark, Ringia, the Kadersaryinan Islands, and the El Kadsreian Islands due to being inappropriate for children.

## Website

* Rule34 is currently blocked in Alexonia, Barokia, El Kadsre, Gau, Helvmark, Vicnora and Sentan. However, the site isn't fully blocked in El Kadsre, since it was only blocked in certain IPs
* Deadspin is banned in Circlia because the government doesn't care if kids shows are bad or not.

## Western Animation

* The *South Park* episode "Red Man's Greed" was banned in El Kadsre for being "offensive to aboriginals". Reportedly, the censorship board members assigned to pre-screen the episode walked out halfway through.
* A number of animated programs depicting demons have been banned in Yoräsek or have had certain episodes depicting demons pulled, as depicting demons in children's material is strictly forbidden in the country. The following are examples of instances this happened:
	+ *Evelyn's Adventures* was banned due to the cast being demons.
	+ *Space Goofs* had the episode *Party Time in Hell* pulled from GreenWarp due to its depiction of the devil and demons.
	+ *Animaniacs* had *Hot, Bothered and Bedeviled* edited out of episode 30 on GreenWarp due to it taking place in Hell. The rest of the segments are kept in, though.
	+ *Rocko's Modern Life* had the episodes *Heff in a Handbasket* and *To Heck and Back* pulled from Nickelodeon due to them focusing on Heffer going to Hell.
	+ *Eek! the Cat* had *Eek Goes to the Hot Spot* edited out of episode 20 due to it focusing on Eek going to Hell, with it being replaced by a repeat of *Star TrEek*.

## Miscellaneous

* *Yuru-chara* banned in Tasanala due to the costume designs scared too much Tasanalans.
* Jazila banned the survivalism movement in 2007, claiming it was a corrupting influence and promoted "paranoia and panic".
* Affirmative Action was banned in Clyohraira, Trimaka, Daricajuce, Bliarshaert, Juulzaden (formerly known as Kalga'ahjo), Uhajut, Kharnazury, Cavazetista, Olushanye, almost all countries in the Kalmyod Islands and many others for reverse discrimination on the ethnic majority and it caused mismatching, which caused more students to drop out. Juulzaden lifted the ban after they were established in 2019, and Olushanye lifted the banned in 2015 after a bipartisan agreement with the Socialist Party of Olushanye and the Olushanyean National Identity League.
* When Juulzaden was established, traditional cigarettes were banned for causing more deaths than E-cigarettes.
* Mark Mawson's "Drowning" photography (one of which is the page image for Cement Shoes) nearly led to Behance.net being blocked in El Kadsre when somebody showed the two photographs to a Moral Guardian, and sparked a national moral panic over "exploitation of dangerous fetishes"