Rico says that, based on the original article's headline (China Decides to Ban Time Travel), he thought the Chinese were banning time travel; wouldn't want people going back to before the Revolution, but David Barboza has an article in The New York Times that tells the actual story:
In a bizarre move, China’s television censors have issued new guidelines that all but ban television dramas featuring time travel.
In a statement dated 31 March, the Chinese State Administration for Radio, Film & Television said that television dramas that involve characters traveling back in time “lack positive thoughts and meaning”. The guidelines discouraging this type of show said that some “casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation.”
The guidelines, which fell short of an outright ban of such dramas, seem to have come in response to a series of popular programs about protagonists drifting back to ancient times. For instance, in Palace, one of China’s hottest television series, a woman falls in love with a Qing dynasty painting, travels back in time, and then falls in love with several princes.
Palace (video above) is broadcast on Hunan Television, a provincial network known for its popular programs, some of which are strong competitors of China’s main state-run broadcaster, China Central Television. A spokesman for the State Administration declined to elaborate on the reason behind the new guidelines, but the Chinese authorities are known for strictly censoring newspapers, film, and television programs that are deemed “unhealthy”.
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