Media watchdog hides cleavages again

A still shot from The Investiture of the Gods. [Photo/Weibo ofThe Investiture of Gods]

State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has removed scenes showing actresses' cleavages from a TV series once again, following changes in the historical drama The Empress of China earlier this year.

Revealing scenes from TV series The Investiture of the Gods, which airs on Shenzhen Television, were replaced with close-up shots of actresses' heads once again.

The Investiture of the Gods is based on the life of Su Daji, the favorite concubine of the King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty (1600 – 1046 BC) in ancient China. In Chinese culture, she is considered aaaaa classic example of femme fatale, where beauty brings the downfall of an empire of dynasty.

Chinese actress Li Yixiao plays the protagonist role in the series. Despite the cuts made by SARFT, screenshots of her risqué dresses are still circulating online.

"Before this series went on air, it was already edited according to the rules and regulations of SARFT. Adjustments were made again upon request of SARFT," said Shenzhen Television during an interview with Xin Kuai Bao, a newspaper based in Guangdong province.

In contrast to The Empress of China, where only the edited version is available on the Internet and on TV, original version of The Investiture of the Gods can still be found online while the edited version plays on TV.

The series attracted attention of Chinese Internet users prior to its airing because of its revealing costumes.

One post read: "Concubine Daji, please take care and put on some more clothes as the weather is getting colder. Otherwise, I truly worry about your future!" The Internet user was referring to the possibilities of being altered by SARFT.