Cinema of violent crime under Chinese film censorship

Abstract

While censorship of violent films and media involving violence (e.g., video games) has become increasingly tight and sensitive in China in the last two years, violent ideology films, unaffected by censorship, have captured a larger market. For example, the film Wolf Warrior, Operation Red Sea. Although there is some literature and discussion on the influence of violent media images on individual behaviour, there is little research based on Chinese texts and censorship standards and the reasons behind this phenomenon. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the causes of this phenomenon from a sociological perspective, taking into account the Chinese cultural and social context. The research is based on thirteen semi-structured interviews. The results of the study illustrate people's acceptance of different types of violent images, as well as their definitions and subjective perceptions of violent scenes in Chinese ideology violent films. Based on the interviews results, the study also examines the uniqueness of Chinese ideology violent films within the theoretical framework of Durkheim's collective consciousness and Weber's the monopoly of violence. It also examines how they have become a popularly accepted and rationalised form of violence while at the same time being exempt from censorship and flourishing in the Chinese film market.