Why Controversy Plays Starring Role in China's TV, Film Censorship

When the Empress of China, a TV drama set in the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), aired in prime time on Hunan TV on December 21, it became an instant hit.

The show – apparently the most expensive TV program ever made in China, with a budget of 300 million yuan – centers on scheming by the concubines of the emperor Li Shimin and on power struggles involving several princes.