East is a delicate matter. Sometimes, certain traditions, customs, and even bans can shock foreigners. So, what is prohibited in China and for what reasons? Let’s discuss the strangest bans!
Time Travel
Since 2011, filming movies featuring time travel has been prohibited in China. One might wonder why the government decided to curb the imagination of filmmakers? But there is a logical explanation for the ban.
Movies in which characters make “jumps” in time contain a lot of speculations and inaccuracies, distort the country’s history, and can create incorrect impressions among Chinese youth about important events that have influenced China’s destiny. Therefore, after 2011, movies where characters travel to the past are not produced. However, filmmakers can still send characters to the future. Of course, if the future is portrayed as cloudless and happy.
Reincarnation
Strangely enough, reincarnation is banned in China. It’s not completely prohibited: to be reincarnated into another body, one must obtain special permission from the authorities. And this process is quite cumbersome (and expensive).
The ban was introduced to control the Dalai Lama and other religious figures who spread Tibetan Buddhism within the country. Tibet was an independent state for a long time, but half a century ago, China began to claim its territory.
The Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India, from where he continues to lead his people. However, the Lama is already quite old, so it’s time to think about his successor. It’s important for the Chinese authorities that Tibet is ruled by a leader loyal to China.
If a “reincarnation” of the Dalai Lama appears and this person begins to revive interest in Tibet’s independence, China may lose control over part of the country’s territory. Therefore, reincarnation was legislatively banned.
Assisting People Who Want to End Their Lives
Assisting people who have made the voluntary decision to end their lives is not welcomed in China. It is believed that once a person has made a decision, it’s not necessary to interfere with them achieving their goal. Therefore, Chinese people do not help drowning individuals and may not always call for emergency assistance if they see someone in distress.
They believe that one should not argue with fate. Europeans are shocked by such an attitude. They start to think that the Chinese are callous, soulless people. However, in reality, they cannot be called heartless. Rather, fatalism is characteristic of the Chinese, which is not present among Europeans.
Depiction of Winnie the Pooh
The image of Winnie the Pooh is strictly banned in China. The thing is, this character was often compared to the country’s president. Criticizing him is strictly forbidden. To avoid giving citizens reasons to make jokes, Winnie the Pooh was banned.
Interestingly, due to the president’s long rule, not only the funny bear was banned in China but also the letter “N.” In the country, this letter often symbolizes infinity. Internet users used this letter to express their opinion on the president’s lengthy term in office. And if you add that Winnie the Pooh has two letter “N”s in its name, it becomes obvious why it fell under the strict ban.
Fine for Having a Second Child
For a long time, China had a ban on having a second child. In recent years, this ban has been lifted. However, if a second child is born in a family, the parents have to pay a substantial fine, so not every family decides on a second pregnancy.
By the way, if a woman gives birth to two boys, she is forced to undergo sterilization. The thing is, there are too many young people in China and too few girls, which makes it difficult for boys to find a partner.
For this reason, Chinese men are forced to seek brides abroad, and international dating sites are filled with their profiles. If in the Soviet Union, according to a famous song, there were 8 boys for every 10 girls, in China, there are already more than 20 million “excess” men…
This gender imbalance is also the reason for the ban on revealing the gender of the unborn child to parents. Many Chinese people believe that it’s more “prestigious” to have a boy. Therefore, if a woman finds out that she’s expecting a girl, she may decide to have an abortion. However, doctors easily circumvent this ban. They do not directly disclose the gender but may say, for example, that “she has your eyes” or “he will look like his father.”
A stranger’s soul is a dark place. The same can be said about a stranger’s culture. It’s not worth criticizing the lives of people from other countries or making fun of them. It’s important to treat all cultures with understanding and try to learn as much as possible about them, as it’s not only interesting but also very useful!