VIDEOS ON SEX, VIOLENCE ATTRACT CHINESE YOUTHS
A profusion of video films featuring sex and violence have become so popular in China that teen-agers are skipping school to watch them, the official Workers’ Daily newspaper reported.
“In recent years, there has been a rapid development in video production, which has enriched the cultural life of the people,” the paper said. “But some unhealthy videotapes featuring murder and sex are also being shown. This serious matter requires our greatest attention.”
Worker’s Daily said sex films that are banned in free-wheeling Hong Kong were being shown in China, with tickets costing more than $3 per person.
“Some of these videotapes propagate reactionary ideas, superstition and terror, such as ‘Paris Murderer,’ ” it said. “These unhealthy tapes have produced a negative impact on the minds of the people.
“Some teen-agers are so curious that they line up for video shows every day instead of going to school.”
Enterprising Chinese able to afford the equipment have set up video theaters in cities across the country. Many of them show violent films, while others favor X-rated fare brought in from Hong Kong.
Worker’s Daily said the booming video industry must be regulated and noted that there is no national censorship board to examine tapes.
It said that many video houses “just focus their eyes on money and don’t care what kind of films they show.”
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