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HONG KONG — An episode of “The Simpsons,” which mocks the Chinese government’s censorship, appears to have been censored on Disney’s newly launched streaming service in Hong Kong, raising fears about the shrinking space for free expression and criticism in the city.
Other episodes of the show are available on Disney+, which is making its much-anticipated debut in Hong Kong this month. In season 16, however, the archive jumps directly from episode 11 to episode 13, skipping episode 12, “Goo Goo Gai Pan,” in which the Simpson family travels to Beijing.
There, they visit mummified body The story of Mao Zedong, whom Homer Simpson calls “a little angel who killed 50 million people”. In another scene, the family walks through Tiananmen Square, where a sign that reads “Nothing happened on this site in 1989”. and other pro-democracy protesters.
Concerns about censorship in Hong Kong, Beijing last June comprehensive national security law to quell months of anti-government protests. Hong Kong, a former British colony, was promised at least 50 years of civil liberties after returning to Chinese control in 1997. But under the law, many of these freedoms have disappeared. news sites silenced, songs are banned and tightly regulated museums.
government this year expanded movie censorship powersIt will be able to prevent the distribution of domestic and foreign films that it thinks harm national security.
It was unclear whether Disney chose to remove the episode “The Simpsons”, which first aired in 2005, or whether it was requested by government officials. Disney did not respond to an investigation, and Hong Kong’s communications officer declined to comment. But your office Trade and economic development said in a statement that the movie censorship regulation only applies to movies, not streaming services.
This shows that Disney censored itself beforehand, he said. Grace Leung, media editing specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Dr. “Disney has clearly sent a clear signal to local viewers that it will remove controversial programs to please the Chinese government,” Leung said. “Their credibility will definitely suffer.”
Still, he acknowledged that any potential loss in Hong Kong would most likely be offset by the benefits of appeasement of mainland authorities. “The population isn’t that big,” he said of the city. “They are ready to sacrifice the Hong Kong market.”
Disney, and Hollywood more broadly, made no secret of their appetite for the enormous mainland Chinese market. Disney, in particular, has often been criticized for his perceived willingness to make capitulations to reach him.
The live-action version of “Mulan” released last year, faced widespread calls for boycott because his loans are thanks to eight government agencies in Xinjiang, China’s far western region where the government is stationed. brutally suppressing the Uyghur ethnic minority. Parts of the movie were shot there.
In 1998, Disney’s then-CEO Michael Eisner, apologized To the Chinese premiere of Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun,” which is about China’s oppression of the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama; Mr. Eisner called the film a “stupid mistake”. In 2016, the producers in the movie “Doctor Strange” rewrote a Tibetan character As Celtic, partly to avoid offending the Chinese government, according to one screenwriter.
Disney+ is not yet available in mainland China, but the company told It plans to launch in “all major countries”.
Other streaming services have also been accused of censorship. Netflix has modified versions some proposals in response to political considerations in overseas markets.
In Hong Kong, “The Simpsons” isn’t the only creative work under scrutiny for touching Tiananmen Square.
in front of Opening this month of M+Lawmakers, a major new art museum in Hong Kong, have called for a ban on photography of perhaps China’s most famous artist, Ai Weiwei, currently living in exile. In the photo, which the museum has since removed from its online archive, Mr. Ai raises his middle finger in front of Tiananmen Square.
owned by the University of Hong Kong Ordered the removal of the “Pillar of Shame”” is a statue commemorating the massacre that has stood on campus for over 20 years.
Separately, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent activist groups, holding annual vigils to commemorate the massacre, disbanded in september after most of its leaders were arrested. Authorities also raided a museum organized by the group.
In response to the Hong Kong repression, some artists, activists and intellectuals fled. On Saturday, “The Revolution of Our Time,” about the 2019 Hong Kong protests, won the best documentary award At Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, it is often referred to as the Oscar in Chinese. The film has not yet been shown in Hong Kong.
The episode “The Simpsons” can be watched on Disney+ in Taiwan. People in Hong Kong can also monitor it if they are using a virtual private network.
Dr. Leung said that as the perception of censorship spreads, interest in accessing the section in alternative ways may increase.
“If they didn’t do anything, then people might not even be aware of that episode’s existence,” he said. “But if you do it very openly, then it gets people’s attention.”
joy dong and Amy ChangChien contributed to research.
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