Persistent Censorship In China Produces Art of Compromise

PERSISTENT CENSORSHIP IN CHINA PRODUCES ART OF COMPROMISE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Edward Cody]
In many ways, China's 1.3 billion people are being deprived of the full bloom of their culture, with thousands of artists forced to calculate how much they can get away with rather than cutting loose with their talent unfettered. China has come a long way from the days of Mao Zedong, when singing the praises of socialism was virtually the only form of art allowed by the party. But the principle has remained the same. The party still has a giant bureaucracy with broad authority to control what Chinese hear, see and read. After nearly 30 years of reforms set in motion by Deng Xiaoping, censorship is arguably the least changed aspect of the party's rule. As a result, writers and other artists are forced to navigate between what they want to say and what the party might allow -- and to consider how high the cost would be if the censors were to hand down a ban.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR200707...
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