893.4061 Motion Pictures/121
The Counselor of Legation in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 19.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that during the past few months a fundamental change has taken place in the official organization controlling the motion picture industry in China, whereby control over motion picture matters has passed in large measure from the Government to the Kuomintang.
It will be recalled that formerly the censorship of films and other questions relating to the motion picture industry in China were placed under the direction of the National Board of Film Censors, an organization consisting of representatives of the Ministries of [Page 623] Education and Interior, with representatives of the Party Headquarters acting in an advisory capacity. However, in November, 1933, as the result of a mob attack on a Chinese motion picture company in Shanghai, allegedly for having produced films tending to encourage class struggle, an investigation of the activities of the Board was made by the Central Publicity Committee of the Kuomintang. It is reported that the investigation revealed that the Board had approved certain films of a communistic nature, and accordingly, in December, 1933, the Committee proposed that the Board be reorganized and placed under Party control. It is understood that the Ministries of Education and Interior agreed to this proposal, as the members of the Censorship Board were also officials of the two ministries and found it difficult efficiently to perform the functions of their concurrent posts.
The Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang on February 8, 1934, passed a resolution reorganizing the National Board of Film Censors and changing the name to the “Central Motion Picture Censorship Committee”, and subsequently promulgated the “General Principles Governing the Organization of the Central Motion Picture Censorship Committee”. There is enclosed a copy of the Chinese text and translation of the “General Principles …”,53 as they appeared in the March 15, 1934, issue of the semi-official Central Daily News, Nanking. The most important points in these General Principles are the following:
- 1)
- The Censorship Committee shall be placed directly under the “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry of the Central Publicity Committee of the Kuomintang”.
- 2)
- It shall exercise censorship over motion picture films, both domestic and foreign and issue showing and export permits.
- 3)
- The members of the Committee shall be recommended by the “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry”, but shall be appointed by the Executive Yuan.
- 4)
- The committee shall submit a monthly report to the Executive Yuan and the “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry”.
- 5)
- The General Principles have been passed by the “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry”, and approved by the Central Publicity Committee, and have been submitted to the Central Party authorities for record.
It will be seen from these General Principles that the “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry” will henceforth constitute the highest authority on motion picture matters in China, and that it will report to central party headquarters. It would appear that the only control which the government will exercise over the matter will be derived from its power of appointment of the members [Page 624] of the Censorship Committee, but even here its authority is limited, for it must appoint the members from among those persons recommended by the Party committee.
The “Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry” will exercise general control over the motion picture industry, but the censorship of films and scenarios will be carried on under its direction by two other committees, the “Censorship Committee”, abovementioned, and the new “Motion Picture Scenario Censorship Committee”.
The members of the Censorship Committee were appointed on March 6, 1934, by the Executive Yuan, which simultaneously instructed the Ministries of Education and Interior to abolish the old National Board of Film Censors and make the necessary transfer of its activities and records to the new Committee. The Committee commenced functioning on March 21, 1934. In view of the fact that the Committee has been in office for such a brief period, the extent of the power which will be exercised by it can not yet be determined. It is presumed, however, that it will carry on a censorship of films which present no difficult problems, but that important and controversial questions will be referred for decision to the Committee for the Guidance of the Motion Picture Industry.
The new Motion Picture Scenario Censorship Committee will have supervision over the scenarios of films to be produced in China, either by Chinese or foreign motion picture companies, and the approval of this Committee must be obtained before production can be undertaken.
It is to be hoped that the transfer of control over the motion picture industry in China from the Government to the Kuomintang will not result in creating additional difficulties for American film exhibitors and producers, and that the decisions of the new Committees will be governed by reason and common sense, rather than by prejudice.54
Respectfully yours,
- Omission indicated in the original.↩
Principal points at issue in the year 1935 were the matters of increased fees and the retroactive features of the new regulations. Telegram No. 379, July 26, 1935, 6 p.m., from the Minister in China, reported:
↩“A memorandum from the Foreign Office under date of July 13 concedes the complete abrogation of the retroactive provision regarding the screening of the censorship certificate at the time of exhibition of the film. Only films censored from December 7, 1934, are now required to observe the requirement.” (893.4061 Motion Pictures/178)