《武媚娘传奇》因露乳沟遭审查

In “The Empress of China,” Fan Bingbing portrays Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own right. When the highly anticipated television show “The Empress of China” was abruptly pulled from Chinese airwaves just days after its premiere on Dec. 21, many speculated that the reason might have had less to do with technical problems, as the show’s producers claimed on its official microblog account, than with one aspect of the show that was, well, impossible to miss: the plunging necklines and tightly squeezed bosoms.

在《武媚娘传奇》中，范冰冰饰演中国历史上唯一一位直接统治国家的女皇帝武则天。12月21日，这部备受期待的电视剧开播，但仅几天后就突然停播，许多人猜测原因或许并非制片方在其官方微博账户上所说的技术问题，而更多的是因为该剧不可忽视的一个特征：低开的领口和被紧紧挤压的胸部。

That speculation was confirmed on Thursday evening when the show, a palace drama set in the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) and featuring the actress Fan Bingbing, who also had roles in the Hollywood films “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Iron Man 3”, resumed. Although the story line appeared to have been unaltered, it was clear that the show’s aesthetic had undergone a major transformation. The ample chests that once filled television screens were suddenly nowhere to be seen.

周四傍晚，当该剧复播时，这一猜测被证实了。尽管故事情节似乎没有变，但显然，该剧的审美经历了重大转变。曾经占满屏幕的丰满胸部突然不见了。该剧是一部宫廷剧，时间设定在唐代（公元618年-907年），由曾出演过《X战警：逆转未来》(X-Men: Days of Future Past)和《钢铁侠3》(Iron Man 3)的女星范冰冰担纲主演。

The online reaction among the show’s loyal fans has been nothing short of outrage.

在网上，该剧的忠实粉丝对此举大为光火。

“I really hate SAPPRFT!” wrote one user on Sina Weibo, referring to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China’s top broadcast regulator. “The show was so beautiful! It’s the Tang dynasty — the characters are supposed to have plump bosoms! Now you’ve cut it so all that’s left is a big head. Thumbs down.”

“真恨广电总局！”一名用户在新浪微博上写道。这名用户指的是中国广播电视最高监管机构国家新闻出版广电总局。“这部剧这么美！那是唐代，那些人物就应该是大胸！现在被你剪得只剩大脑袋了。抗议。”

Another user wrote: “I really had no idea that 21st-century people could be this conservative. They’re not even as open-minded as people from the Tang dynasty one millennium ago.”

另一名用户写道：“真没想到21世纪的人会这么保守，甚至不如千年前的唐人开放。”

Revealing décolletage is only the latest target to come into the cross hairs of China’s entertainment censors. In the past, the regulator cracked down on television shows that depicted time travel (thought to “lack positive thoughts and meaning”), adultery and one-night stands, and, most recently, wordplay and puns, which are thought to be “contradictory in spirit to the continuation and enhancement of outstanding traditional Chinese culture,” according to regulators.

中国娱乐审查机构对很多东西发起过指责，袒胸露肩服装不过是最新的一个。早前，监管机构还曾打击过讲述穿越（被认为“缺乏积极的思想意义”）、通奸和一夜情的电视剧。就在最近，监管机构还以“与传承和弘扬中华优秀传统文化的精神相违背”为由，禁止使用文字游戏和双关语。

Nor is it the first time that the authorities have stepped in to disrupt the screening of a television show or film. Minutes after the midnight premiere of “Django Unchained” in 2013, the Quentin Tarantino film was suddenly pulled from theaters, ostensibly because of objections to graphic scenes involving nudity and bloodshed that censors had apparently overlooked earlier. And, just last month, the premiere of the Chinese director Jiang Wen’s new film, “Gone With the Bullets,” was postponed at the last minute, also for reasons that are thought to be related to racy scenes.“The Empress of China,” or “The Saga of Wu Zetian,” as it is known in China, is broadcast on Hunan Satellite Television, a provincial television station known for its popular programs. The station, often seen as one of the major competitors to CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, has been the target of censors in the past. In 2003, the authorities canceled a weather show with scantily clad presenters, and in 2011, they pulled the plug on the hugely popular talent show “Super Girl,” similar to “American Idol,” which had been criticized by government officials for being “vulgar” and “manipulative.”

这也不是当局第一次介入、中断电视剧或电影的播出。2013年，在《被解救的姜戈》(Django Unchained)举行零点首映几分钟后，昆汀·塔伦蒂诺(Quentin Tarantino)的这部影片突然在影院被叫停，表面上是因为反对涉及裸体和流血暴力的画面。监管机构早前似乎忽略了这些画面。此外，就在上月，中国导演姜文的新片《一步之遥》的首映式在最后时刻被推迟，原因也被认为和露骨的画面有关。《武媚娘传奇》在以流行节目著名的省级电视台湖南卫视播出。该电视台常被视作中国的国家级电视台中央电视台的主要竞争对手之一，是审查机构的目标。2003年，当局取消了一档由衣着暴露的主持人主持的天气节目。2011年，他们叫停了极受欢迎的才艺节目《快乐女声》。政府官员指责这档类似于《美国偶像》(American Idol)的节目“低俗”且“具有操纵性”。

Speaking after the cancellation of the talent show, a spokesman for the television station said it would be replacing the show with programs that promoted healthy morals, public safety and “practical information about housework.”

在这档才艺节目被取消后，湖南卫视的一名发言人称将代之以宣传美德、增强社会稳定和“家务活小助手”等健康向上的节目。

“The Empress of China” is based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own right. Ms. Fan plays the seventh-century imperial concubine-turned-empress, celebrated in historical accounts for her cunning, ruthless drive for power, wanton sexuality and, in her younger years, mesmerizing beauty.

《武媚娘传奇》取材于中国历史上惟一一个由本人直接统治国家的女皇帝武则天的生平。范冰冰饰演的便是生活在7世纪的武则天，她从皇帝的一个妃子，变成了女皇。在历史记载中，她因巧妙且执着地追求权力、肆意的性生活以及年轻时令人着迷的美貌而著称。