Is Controversy Over TV Editing A Storm in a B-Cup?

A heated discussion was sparked when popular TV drama The Saga of Empress Wu Zetian， a semi-biographical account of the only female emperor in Chinese history， was taken off the air temporarily. In the original version， most actresses， be they concubines or court maids， were attired in low-cut costumes that invariably revealed cleavage. When the series surprised broadcasting recently， viewers were stunned to find that most scenes showing women from the neck down had been cropped. All one now sees is closeups of females faces as they speak， so that their cleavage is out of shot.

Thus far， there has been no official explanation of the edits. Sources said they were likely carried out because too much of the actressescleavage was on display. This has enraged some TV fans. Some have argued that this is how women dressed in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， when Wu lived， and that post-production changes show no respect for history. Others support the editing， and argue that showing too much cleavage would have a negative influence on younger audiences since no rating system for TV programs is currently in place in China. Meanwhile， those discontented with the countrys censorship have taken this opportunity to voice their long-held grievances.

Doing justice to history

Yin Jianguang （www.iqilu.com）： The edited version of the drama has now become a laughing stock among audiences. People were initially shocked by the candid nature of the series—the dresses worn by female characters are low-cut to the degree that cleavage is distractingly prominent. TV producers should in the first instance work with a more responsible attitude toward history and the audience. The audience is not easily fooled.

Indeed， it is true the Tang Dynasty is widely recognized as having been an open society in many aspects， but this does not necessarily mean that all women at that time deliberately wore low-cut attire to expose their cleavage. At that time， low-cut dresses were most likely to be seen in womens boudoirs， not in everyday life as is suggested in the drama. Instead of focusing on “attracting the audiences eyeballs，”TV program producers have a lot to learn about the culture of dress in the Tang Dynasty.

Fan Lingzhi （www.huanqiu.com）： How exactly did females in the Tang Dynasty dress？ And does the attire seen in this drama conform to historical reality？

Zhang Guogang， a professor with Tsinghua University who is also an expert on the history of the Tang Dynasty， said Tang-style attire absorbed many of the elements native to costumes worn by ethnic minorities of the period. These elements， however， did not include plunging necklines， but items of clothing such as jackets which are still worn today. Murals handed down show that womens costumes do reveal their necks， but there is no clear indication of cleavage being displayed. Owing to the highly developed economy and culture of the Tang Dynasty， women， particularly noblewomen， wore low-cut formal dresses with large sleeves， but not on all occasions. Thus， the omnipresence of low-cut dresses we originally saw in the drama is exaggerated， and this kind of irresponsible embellishment of peoples lifestyles in ancient times not only deviates from the reality of that era， but misleads the audience.

Xiao Taiyang （www.people.com.cn）： The drama threw reviewers into a quandary. Should they cut， they would be blamed for mutilating the dramas many beautiful scenes， while were they to choose not to do so， they would be criticized for allowing a negative influence to be exerted over younger generations of TV watchers.

A lot of well-preserved portraits of ladies from the Tang Dynasty clearly indicate that although some costumes are in a low-cut style， no evidence exists that ladies at that time showed cleavage. Nowadays， it seems that the audience ratings to a large extent depend on females wearing sexy clothes and even the inclusion of obscene content. In the name of respecting the history of the Tang Dynasty， the social atmosphere of which was more open than other dynasties in Chinese history， TV drama producers are arguably destroying the gracefulness and real beauty of this era through the superimposing of modern tropes onto ancient figures. The post editing is more or less disregarding the original gorgeousness of this historical saga. This represents a loss for both TV producers and audiences.

Setting a higher bar

Ye Chuanlong （www.nen.com.cn）： Any drama concerning the only empress in Chinese history must respect its subject matters historical background. In scenes where shots have been cropped from the neck down， many of the beautiful and elegant costumes utilized in the dramas production will sadly not be seen， and this really is a waste of money and a crying shame. This cropping has also led to the disfigurement of many scenes from the series.

Since the drama passed the official reviewing process on first viewing， why was it then suspended for several days to be cut and trimmed？ If The Saga of Empress Wu Zetian is too candid in terms of its depiction of female characters attire， then the majority of the other TV dramas featuring the series central character also suffer the same affliction. Will these dramas too be edited？

The decision to crop the scenes below the neck may represent a compromise reached between TV producers and TV watchdogs. If this drama were to be banned， a move that would cost 300 million yuan （$48 million）， it would represent a huge loss to the productions investors， but if the “raunchy” scenes were to remain， the authorities would likely feel uneasy. Thus an agreement was probably made to remove only the parts that were suspected of， or criticized for， obscenity.

This incident serves as a reminder to the authorities to be more careful in reviewing TV programs in the future， so as to avoid having to engage in editing work of such a ridiculous nature.

Yang Wenjie （www.lzbnews.com）： As for whether females in the drama reveal too much of their cleavage， and whether the latest editing is too arbitrary， there might be various answers from a multitude of different perspectives. But as for the show itself， including the stars and investors involved， there is actually no sum loss. The publicity garnered from the suspension and editing interlude is pushing audience ratings higher and higher. It is even possible that investors may be delighted with the outcome of the controversy.

Taking a step back and looking at the issue in its entirety， if there are only complaints， with- out finally working out clear and consistent standards for reviewing TV programs， this industry will continue to operate in darkness and even chaos.

Zhao Long （Global Times）： Every year， thousands of TV programs have to go through the countrys reviewing process. Among the large number of films and TV series aired in China every year， it is not out of the ordinary that some will be edited. But since the show was pulled off the air and re-edited after it was first broadcast with approval， it has highlighted an apparent glitch in procedures， which has caused complications to the reviewing system.

It would be unrealistic to suggest abandoning the reviewing system， a move that could potentially cause chaos in the market. But the rules and practices followed in reviewing films and TV shows have been often questioned. The public holds various attitudes toward scenes where flesh is exposed on screen. Without a rating system in place， perhaps directors should internalize such a system and hold it in mind. Programs which are broadcast on public TV stations should set a higher bar， and meanwhile， those shown online can be subject to more relaxed standards.

Controversy surrounding this TV series reflects the confused mindset of the Chinese public in a time of transition. Perhaps we will encounter more such incidents in the future. Three decades ago， scenes of hugging and kissing were banned in Chinese-made films. It is， however， conceivable that we may see TV series with far more nudity in the future. History is full of changes. Those who are leading the trends should be possessed of vision and wisdom.

We hope that images that truthfully reflect the lifestyle of the Tang Dynasty can be shown in the future and that less controversy will surround Chinas program reviewing system.