This book addresses the development of film censorship in the Republic of China, and considers both the impact of film as a form of art and the institutional practices of different forms of film censorship. The rapid development of the film industry in the Republic of China came against the backdrop of difficult transition and transformation in modern China. In the mid-1920s, China’s film production was world leading and the growth of the urban film market in the Republic of China was similar to world leading countries. The question of censorship in the film industry – the idea of carrying forward films' “positive” significance and limiting their “negative” significance – is an enduring topic in the film industry, the media and all social sectors and highlights the social and political ramifications of the issue.

Development of film censorship closely followed the development of the Chinese film industry in the Republic of China. It focused on the moral themes of films, prohibiting martial art and religious films, and strongly reacted to foreign films which touched on the Republic of China’s cultural traditions and social reality. Combining expertise in political history and film studies, the author considers the origin of film censorship in the Republic of China, and the establishment of unified film censorship by the Nationalist Government. Offering insights into local practices of film censorship, including examples from Harbin, it addresses how the right to censor films was transferred to the Central Film Censorship Committee, and its evolution during the Anti-Japanese War, as well as the situation after the war.

Dr Wang Chaoguang graduated from the History Department of Nanjing University, the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and then the History Department of Fudan University, China. He works with the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and is a chair professor of Sichuan University. His research focuses on the history of the Republic of China, especially the political and film history of the Republic of China, and he has published over 100 papers in such journals as Historical Research, Journal of Modern Chinese History and Film Art, as well as a number of books.