Due to China’s film censorship system prohibiting the filming of ghost-themed movies, the Taiwanese film “The Art of Ghosts,” which was released in Taiwan in August last year, had its title changed to “The Art of the Uncanny” when it arrived in China. This title change allowed the film to be released in mainland China on the 22nd of this month.
“The Art of Ghosts,” a Taiwanese dark comedy film, is directed and written by Xu Hanqiang, starring actors Chen Bolin, Wang Jing, and Zhang Rongrong. The story follows Wang Jing’s character, “The Student,” who encounters the ghost agent Douge (played by Chen Bolin), known for creating urban ghost legends, and the former superstar ghost Katherine (played by Zhang Rongrong), as they mentor the new ghost student in a special training process. The film previously won five awards at the 61st Golden Horse Awards, becoming a popular Taiwanese film in 2024.
In China, the ban on ghost-related films has become a consensus in the censorship process. Ghost-themed films released in mainland China are required to have the theme of “Ghostless Ghost Movies.” According to earlier reports on the Sina Weibo platform, “The Art of Ghosts” opened an account named “The Art of the Uncanny” by the end of last year, certified as the official Weibo account of the film “The Art of the Uncanny.” This clever use of homophones allows the film to pass censorship by creating an effect of “Ghostless Ghost Movies” and a ghostless film title.
Recently, many audiences discovered that the Taiwanese film “The Art of Ghosts” prepared a “specially provided version” for the Chinese market, adding approximately one minute of additional plot at the beginning and end of the film. It includes a call from the producer discussing the script and a demonstration of the entire plot, rationalizing the ghost-themed story. While audiences mostly view this addition as unnecessary, some see it as an expedient measure.
When “The Art of Ghosts” arrived in China, the title was changed to “The Art of the Uncanny.” After the midnight screening of “The Art of the Uncanny” at a cinema in Shanghai on the 25th, some people commented, “Adding this at the beginning and end feels unnecessary. The ‘producer’ displayed on the call is written in Simplified Chinese characters, clearly done for the Chinese version. It’s all because of censorship!”
On the Chinese film platform Douban, some netizens point out, “For the sake of passing censorship, adding one minute at the beginning and end turns the concept of ‘ghosts’ into a play within a play, which is clever but also regrettable. In fact, the story isn’t that ‘ghostly,’ but as a comedy, it succeeds.”
One netizen left a comment saying, “Great creativity, thank you to Taiwan for existing in this world. All overseas films entering China usually have a few minutes cut due to sensitive content. This foreign film entering China has actually added a few minutes because sensitive audiences require additional explanations. This is even funnier than the comedy film itself.”
The ban on filming ghost-themed movies in China is familiar to many Chinese people. Some Shanghai movie fans expressed that it is because the People’s Republic of China advocates “materialism.”
Back in 2020, there was a viral document circulating in mainland WeChat circles titled “20 Categories of Topics for Review and Avoidance,” outlining restrictions by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television on future productions by major film and television companies. It included prohibitions on themes like “excessively sweet romantic dramas,” “no promotion of ghosts, monsters, or reincarnation superstitions,” “no grave-robbery stories,” “no glorification of the Republic of China or warlords,” and “classic drama remakes must exhibit positive energy.” These regulations were said to originate from official documents such as the “Television Drama Review Management Regulations” and “Internet Audiovisual Program Content Review Guidelines.” Many mainland netizens criticized these restrictions, saying, “Just ban all filmmaking outright!” and “This society is regressing day by day.”