Chinese Censorship Corrodes American Ideals

By AYAH HASSAN

Disney’s cartoon Mulan has been a personal favorite of thousands since it was released in 1998. Not only is it incredibly enjoyable, but it was also the first piece of Asian — specifically, Chinese — representation put out by Disney, a studio that had historically appealed to white beauty standards. So I, for one, was waiting impatiently this year for the 2020 live-action version of the movie to be released to the public.

That was before I found out that the main actress, Lui Yifei, supports the Hong Kong police and that many of the movie’s scenes were filmed in Xinjiang, “the site of alleged widespread human rights abuses against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities,” according to The Guardian.

The Uighur (pronounced “wee-gur”) population is an ethnically Turkic-Muslim group situated in northwestern China. They have been living in Xinjiang since the ninth century, ever since the collapse of the Mongolian Empire. 

However, beginning in 2014, the Uighurs have faced torture and violence by the Chinese government. To this day, they are still nowhere near free. Around one million of them are currently being held in “re-education” camps by the Chinese government where they are forced to unlearn their culture, language, and religion.

Not only that, but this year’s pro-democratic protesters in Hong Kong have been beaten by the Hong Kong police, according to BBC News. Hong Kong residents have been protesting various anti-democratic laws from mainland China since the late 1990s, when the city was transferred from Britain to the Chinese government. Their rights and freedom as a population have been violated by the government numerous times.

So how does this concern the United States? Well, there is a substantial history of China censoring Americans and their works, especially when they depict China unfavorably. In the most recent example, Mulan coverage has been censored. According to CNBC, many major media outlets chose not to cover the Mulan controversies, likely due to the Chinese boycotts that might come with it. 

 “Disney had worked to ensure Mulan tested well with Chinese audiences,” CNBC reported. “And the company’s chief financial officer told investors on Wednesday that it was ‘very pleased’ with the initial results of its release elsewhere.”

Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the first time that America was forced to put the people of China before its own. According to PEN America, China has, on numerous occasions, threatened Hollywood: “Filmmakers who criticize China will be punished, but those who play ball with its censorship strictures will be rewarded.”

In 1997, China attempted to censor the movies Kudan and Seven Years in Tibet, which both depicted the Chinese government and army in an unfavorable way, threatening that if they were to be released to the public, there would be dire consequences. The directors ignored the Chinese authorities’ wishes, and as a result, two major studios were banned from China for five years. At the time, the Chinese movie market was small. Now it is second in the world, behind only America’s, and America has learned its lesson. 

“Seven Years in Tibet is a great example of a film that would never be made in today’s Hollywood,” said Radio First Asia. “And this is because everybody in the industry is absolutely petrified of being blacklisted by the Chinese Communist Party.”

China’s censorship in America doesn’t stop at Hollywood. According to The Washington Post, in late 2019, the NBA was economically threatened by China because of a tweet by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey in favor of the pro-democracy protests going on in Hong Kong. 

Is it okay that China not only wants to censor its citizens but also anyone who attempts to shine a light on all the wrong going on there? No, not at all, and thankfully, Congress has been fighting back against the Chinese authorities. 

In the U.S., the Bill of Rights allows Americans to speak on sensitive topics without being punished. But this cannot stop the influence of the Chinese government on Hollywood productions such as Mulan. If China can’t handle the criticism, then why are they still continuing to deny the rights of their residents?

America should continue to fight for her right to speak on whichever topics she pleases, and our companies should be brave enough to do the same.