Making a clean breast of it
Updated: 2015-01-08 07:26
By Xu Fan(China Daily)
|
|||||||||||
The buzz over the cuts of the actresses' corseted cleavages in the TV drama The Saga of Wu Zetian has also attracted attention abroad. It has experts pondering on the issue, Xu Fan reports.
The much talked about cut of the first Chinese empress' bust has not only not died down, it has also created a buzz abroad.
Numerous international media outlets, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Daily Mail, reported on the heated chatter in the Chinese media and blogosphere about how the top-rated domestic TV drama, The Empress of China-also known as The Saga of Wu Zetian-was halted after its first week of release for "technical reasons", then released again five days later.
What happened was when the 80-episode Hunan TV serial returned to the screen on the first day of 2015 after the abrupt suspension, scenes featuring the actresses' low-cut dresses and corseted cleavages have been cut and replaced by close-up shots of just their pretty heads.
A series of "before and after" screen captures of the drama shows that even the Chinese emperor Li Shimin's face has been cut in an "after" scene, when he is leaning his head against the empress' ample breasts.
It has been widely speculated that the nation's highest broadcasting regulator had asked for the cuts because the women's costumes were too revealing.
Chinese netizens created a slew of viral spoofs, such as nicknaming the drama "The Saga of Big Head Wu", and cropping out the busts of some of the well-known stars' movie photos.
Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, found that nearly 95 percent of the viewers disapproved of the cuts, calling them "unnecessary".
The interest shown abroad over the most powerful woman in ancient China, albeit only on her cleavage, made some experts stand back and examine the issue seriously.
Related Stories
What did Empress Wu Zetian look like? 2015-01-07 11:16
The Empress of China faces another cancelation 2015-01-05 15:34
Fan Bingbing plays 82-year-old empress 2014-12-10 06:53
New photos of Fan Bingbing as 'Empress of China' 2014-12-03 04:26
Fan Bingbing stars as 'Empress of China' 2014-10-21 05:39
Today's Top News
Black Box of crashed AirAsia jet retrieved
Arson attack at paper that ran Charlie Hebdo cartoons
Better testing to secure safe blood supply
Ambitious course set for airliner market
Hostage-taking in French town, Hebdo suspects sighted
17 officials punished over deadly terror attacks in Xinjiang
Subdued price levels point to more policy easing
Kung fu star's son sentenced to six months in prison
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
CES: Spotlight on Chinese gadgets |
Yearender: What happened around the globe in 2014 |
National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre victims |
Corrupt female officials spark debate |
Blue skies ready to greet APEC |
Growth pangs |