China Broadcasters Winnow Out Shows

China broadcasters have eliminated more than two-thirds of prime-time entertainment programming such as dating and reality shows to comply with tough new government restrictions, as Beijing increasingly seeks to rein in cultural trends it finds problematic.

中国多家卫视停播了超过三分之二的相亲和真人秀等黄金档娱乐节目，以便满足政府新出台的严格限制，目前北京日益寻求控制它认为有问题的文化趋势。

The state-run Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday that satellite broadcasters have winnowed the number of entertainment shows aired during prime time to 38 from 126. A new rule that came into effect on Sunday limits the number of entertainment programs the broadcasters air to two each week and a maximum of 90 minutes daily between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

新华社周二报道说，多家卫视将黄金时段播出的娱乐节目从126档减至38档。根据周日开始实施的一项新规，电视台每周播出的娱乐节目不得超过两档，在每晚7点30分至10点的时段，娱乐节目播出时间不得超过90分钟。

The rule, first announced in October, is targeted at what Chinese regulators have called "excessive entertainment and a trend toward low taste," to address the rise of talent shows, dating shows and other such programming aired by China tightly regulated, but increasingly competitive, regional satellite broadcasters. Authorities also encouraged broadcasters to air more news and educational programming.

这项规定最早公布于去年10月，目的是遏制中国监管部门所称的过度娱乐和低级趣味的倾向，以应对受到严格监管、但竞争力日益增强的地方卫视播出的选秀、相亲和其他类似节目的兴起。当局还鼓励电视台播出更多的新闻和教育节目。

"Satellite channels have started to broadcast programs that promote traditional virtues and socialist core values,"Xinhua on Tuesday cited China broadcasting regulator as saying.

Imaginechina相亲节目《非诚勿扰》在内容上受到新的限制，但据新华社援引中国国家广播电影电视总局的话报道，该节目在最新的清理整顿中得以保留。新华社周二援引广播电影电视监管部门的话报道说，卫星频道开始播出弘扬传统美德和社会主义核心价值体系的节目。

The rule is part of a broad government effort to take firmer control of China media landscape, an effort that also includes the nation freewheeling Internet culture. The Internet aspect marks a recognition by policy makers of the Web rising power in a country with few other public national forums for discussing issues of the day. The media part, while targeting low-brow trends, also shows China rising interest in developing its own soft power — in the arts, media and culture — to compete with the likes of Hollywood as the nation looks to take on a broader global role.

新的规定是政府加强对中国媒体行业控制的广泛举措之一，其他举措还包括控制中国畅所欲言的互联网文化。对互联网的控制意味着决策者认识到，在鲜有其他全国性公开平台来讨论时事的中国，网络的力量不断增强。对媒体的控制尽管旨在遏制低级趣味的倾向，却也显示出，随着中国寻求在全球发挥更大作用，它越来越有兴趣发展自身软实力（艺术、媒体和文化），以便与好莱坞等竞争。

Newly released remarks by President Hu Jintao also highlight Beijing desire to limit Hollywood influence. In October, Hu warned senior Communist Party leaders that "hostile" foreign forces are seeking to "Westernize" the country. "We should deeply understand the seriousness and complexity of the ideological struggle, always sound the alarms and remain vigilant, and take forceful measures to be on guard and respond," Hu said, according to the Associated Press. The comments were published this week in a party-run magazine called Seeking Truth and translated by Western news services.

最新公布的中国国家主席胡锦涛的讲话也显示出北京希望限制好莱坞的影响。去年10月，胡锦涛提醒共产党高层领导说，外国敌对势力寻求西化中国。据美联社(Associated Press)报道，胡锦涛说，我们要深刻认识意识形态领域斗争的严重性和复杂性，警钟长鸣、警惕长存，采取有力措施加以防范和应对。胡锦涛的上述讲话发表在本周出版的中国共产党《求是》杂志上，由西方新闻机构翻译。

At the end of that October gathering, Chinese officials publicly called for stricter control of social media, which has challenged the Chinese government traditional hold on the nation information channels. Since then, Chinese Internet companies have announced efforts to crack down on "rumors" — a term often understood to mean information that the Communist Party finds undesirable — while city governments are enacting new rules that would require users of Twitter-like microblogs and other services to register their real names with the companies before posting.

在去年10月召开的会议结束时，中国官员公开呼吁加强对社交媒体的控制。社交媒体挑战了传统上中国政府对中国信息渠道的控制。此后，中国互联网公司宣布了抵制谣言（一般被认为指的是共产党不希望看到的信息）的行动，而各市政府开始实施新的规定，要求微博等服务的用户在发表微博前用实名注册帐户。

Western media face limits in terms of the amount and the subjects that can be shown. But Hollywood continues to have tremendous sway in China —the movie "Avatar" earned $204 million at the Chinese box office in 2010; the latest "Sherlock Holmes" movie is poised to hit theaters later this month. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is widely expected to succeed Hu during an upcoming once-a-decade leadership change, once told the then-U.S. ambassador he was a fan of U.S. war movies, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

西方媒体则面临信息数量和主题方面的限制。不过，好莱坞继续在中国拥有巨大影响力，2010年影片《阿凡达》(Avatar)在中国获得2.04亿美元票房，《福尔摩斯2》(Sherlock Holmes)将于本月晚些时候在中国上映。据维基解密(WikiLeaks)公布的一份美国外交电文，中国国家副主席习近平曾对当时的美国驻华大使说，他喜欢看美国战争片。外界普遍认为在今年晚些时候举行的10年一次的领导人换届中，习近平将接替胡锦涛担任国家主席。

Nearly two years ago, Jiangsu Satellite TV dating show "If You Are the One" caused ripples around the nation when a female contestant said she would rather be unhappy dating a man with a BMW than be happy with a man who rode only a bicycle.

将近两年前，在江苏卫视的相亲节目《非诚勿扰》中，一位女嘉宾说，宁愿坐在宝马车里哭，也不愿意坐在自行车上笑。此话在全国引起了轩然大波。

Though "If You Are the One" faced new content restrictions after that broadcast, it was spared the latest culling, according to Xinhua, which quoted the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, known as Sarft. Also spared was a soap opera called "Li Yuan Chun," broadcast by Henan Satellite TV.

尽管《非诚勿扰》之后在内容上受到新的限制，但据新华社援引中国国家广播电影电视总局的话报道，该节目在最新的清理整顿中得以保留。其他未被叫停的节目还有河南卫视播出的戏曲比赛节目《梨园春》。

The original statement could be found Tuesday on the Sarft website and a list of the canceled shows was unavailable.

记者周二无法在广电总局的网站上找到最初的声明，也无法找到被叫停的节目名单。

China media watchdogs already keep gritty programming involving crime, violence and social issues off the air. In response, regional satellite broadcasters with an aim to reach a national audience in recent years have turned to reality shows that sometimes pit family members against each other, or dating shows where the outcome often seems to depend on how wealthy the suitors are — a potentially provocative issue in a country with a vast gap between the wealthy and the poor.

中国的媒体监管部门已经禁止电视台播出涉及犯罪、暴力和社会问题的敏感节目。相应的，力争获得全国电视观众喜爱的地方卫视近年来转向真人秀节目（有些时候节目中会有家人互相谩骂）或相亲节目（相亲结果似乎常常取决于追求者的财富状况），而这在贫富严重分化的中国是很有争议的话题。

The new rules could hurt a potentially lucrative market for Western companies. WPP PLC ad-buying unit GroupM estimates that China television advertising revenue in 2010 totaled $27.4 billion. But there could be a plus side for advertisers, since much of China recent output of entertainment programming involves copycat shows that eat away at the originals ratings.

新的规定或许会损害一个对西方公司来说可能获利颇丰的市场。WPP PLC旗下广告公司群邑(GroupM)估计，2010年中国电视广告总收入为274亿美元。不过，这对广告客户却可能带来好处，因为中国最近播出的大部分娱乐节目都是跟风抄袭的产物，损害了原创节目的收视率。