China Bans Non-Patriotic TV Shows Ahead of 70th Anniversary

A member of the Chinese People's Armed Police salutes in Tiananmen Square. 

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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China ordered television channels to not broadcast shows that are “too entertaining,” -- such as costume dramas -- in the months leading up to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.

Instead, the country’s TV regulator provided a list of 86 programs that channels can broadcast ahead of the Oct. 1 anniversary date, which marks the founding of the modern Chinese state by the Communist Party.