History is never just history
A new historical drama, mirroring today’s power struggles, is censored

Jul 7th 2012 | SHANGHAI | from the print edition

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BEING a film-maker in China has never been easy, but 2012 is turning out to be more difficult than usual. Earlier this year Lu Chuan, a director, watched intrigued but concerned as Bo Xilai, a rising political star who was Communist Party secretary of Chongqing, was purged. Mr Lu knew such political upheaval might spell disaster for his new film, “The Last Supper”, due for release on July 5th. He was right to worry.

On the surface there should have been no problem, since the meal in question, known as the Feast at Hong Gate, took place in 206BC. In the oft-recounted tale, a despot betrays his closest ally to grab power and establish a new dynasty. But this being China, the parallels were too close for the censorship committee—especially with a once-a-decade leadership transition looming in the autumn—and it delayed release. Mr Lu says the censors were afraid it could “affect social stability” in China.

Such conservatism continues to stunt China’s creativity. Film-makers have the freedom to gripe about censorship, even publicly, but no power to do anything about it. At the Shanghai International Film Festival in June, a group of them gathered for a panel entitled “The Road to Redemption for Chinese-Language Films”. They all had a good grumble but failed to find that road. “How can Chinese films compete when Hollywood can show aliens attacking Los Angeles?” one panellist asked. (An official list of film topics banned in China ranges from undermining the constitution to the promotion of superstition. Unofficially, there are many more.)

The box office tells the story. China’s film market grew to more than $2 billion in 2011 (North America’s was $10 billion). But the 81 Chinese films released in the first five months of 2012 had a market share of only around 30%, whereas the 34 foreign films took over 65%. James Cameron’s “Titanic 3D” remains China’s highest-grossing film of 2012 so far, raking in around $160m.

Other art forms are affected, too. The censorship imposed on the publishing industry is especially heavy-handed this year, says Yan Lianke, an outspoken novelist. The latest work by Mr Yan is entitled “Four Books” and is set during the trauma of China’s Great Leap Forward, an absurd economic campaign which plunged the country into famine and caused the death of millions. He feels the book is one of his best works, but no mainland publisher will touch it.

Mr Lu, the director, understands the cost of controversy. His previous film, “The City of Life and Death”, about the 1937 massacre of Chinese civilians by the Japanese army in the city of Nanjing, aroused public discussion. Audiences objected to the sympathetic portrayal of a Japanese soldier, and the film was pulled from cinemas after two weeks. Mr Lu remains hopeful that “The Last Supper” will eventually be released, but not before the Communist Party leadership changes in the autumn. He knows the government fears anything that could lead to history repeating itself.