May 20, 2024

A ‘Simpsons’ Episode Lampooned Chinese Censorship. In Hong Kong, It Vanished.

Ahead of the opening this month of M+, a major new art museum in Hong Kong, lawmakers called for a ban on a photograph by Ai Weiwei, perhaps China’s most famous artist, who is now living in exile. In the photograph, which the museum has since removed from its online archive, Mr. Ai is raising his middle finger in front of Tiananmen Square.

The University of Hong Kong has ordered the removal of “Pillar of Shame,” a sculpture commemorating the massacre that has stood on campus for over 20 years.

Separately, one of Hong Kong’s best-known activist groups, which organized annual vigils in memory of the massacre, disbanded in September after most of its leaders were arrested. Officials also raided a museum the group organized.

In response to the Hong Kong crackdown, some artists, activists and intellectuals have fled. On Saturday, “Revolution of Our Times,” about the 2019 Hong Kong protests, won the best documentary prize at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, often called the Chinese-language Oscars. The film has yet to be screened in Hong Kong.

The “Simpsons” episode is viewable on Disney+ in Taiwan. People in Hong Kong can also still watch it if they use a virtual private network.

As news of the perceived censorship spread, interest in accessing the episode by alternative means might increase, Dr. Leung said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/world/asia/simpsons-hk.html

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