China censors “Friends” and treats artists such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and the band BTS as persona non grata, in addition to deleting some common scenes that appear in the series.
China censors “Friends” and other artists like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and BTS
Censorship in China is the order of the day. The usual thing is that series and movies comply with the morality according to the Communist Party of China, and that Western embassies do not reach citizens.
However, it is surprising when a new victim of censorship appears as in the case of Friends: they have removed a number of guests such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and the group BTS.
Some platforms offer in China a version of less than 98 minutes when the American version lasts almost 104.
Justin Bieber, for example, was abhorred by the authorities since he visited the Great Wall in 2013 and carried by bodyguards on his shoulders, which was considered disrespectful.
It didn’t help when he visited Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine in 2014, which honors Japanese forces who fought against China and Korea. In 2017, they prevented Bieber from being able to perform in China.
They reported that Justin was a talented singer, but it was better to “clean up the Chinese market,” and it is better to bring in “artists who are not rude.”
In the case of Lady Gaga, censorship occurs in 2016 after meetings with the Dalai Lama and the actress and singer.
Anyone who has contact with the Tibetan leader is persona non grata for the empire.
And, as for Koreans BTS who are devouring the international market, it all stems from a comment by RM, one of the band members.
For he said that South Korea shared a “history of pain” with the United States because of the Korean War in which they both fought.
This statement upset Beijing because China supported North Korea in the Korean War.
