China’s reportedly ban on Malaysian singer Fish Leong’s (梁靜茹) 2005 song Unfortunately Not You (可惜不是你) reflects a more aggressive effort by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to eliminate content that could resonate with the public, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest quarterly report on China.
The report said the song, which contains no political content, drew the attention of Chinese Internet authorities due to wordplay used online in discussions of abducted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
Internet users replaced characters in the song’s title — xi (惜), meaning “unfortunately,” and ni (你), meaning “you” — with homophones Xi (習), the surname of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and ni (尼), the first character in the Mandarin transliteration of Nicolas (尼可拉斯).
Photo courtesy of SuperDome
The altered phrase — “But Xi is not Nicolas” (可習不是尼) — could be interpreted, in the context of the original lyrics, as expressing regret that Xi, rather than Maduro, had not been captured.
The report cited similar incidents, including the removal of songs by Taiwanese singer Lin Sheng-hsiang (林生祥) from online platforms in China and restrictions on search terms related to Uigyur folk songs.
Some Chinese Internet users speculated that Lin was blacklisted for composing music for a Taiwanese documentary Eye of Democracy (民主之眼).
Such cases could indicate that the CCP is extending censorship beyond political commentary to include interdiction of how cultural content is used and interpreted, the report said.
Under this approach, the report said, the original intent of a work becomes irrelevant, adding that authorities might focus on whether it resonates with the public or could be repurposed to express certain ideas.
Removing cultural content from public platforms simply because it has been used as a homophone, allegory or outlet for frustration risks hollowing out the cultural sector, as creators and audiences increasingly resort to self-censorship, the report said.
Suppressing cultural works based on their “possible interpretations” could erode public discourse and imagination, diminishing not only freedom of expression but broader social vitality, it said.
The report said that the CCP’s cultural repression underscores its sensitivity to such influences, noting that authorities work with technology companies and use state-aligned online commentators to shape narratives and present China favorably on the international stage.
However, in a concert held by Leong in China’s Nanjing yesterday she performed a series of hit songs, including Unfortunately Not You.
Holding a concert in China requires all songs to be pre-approved, and only after passing review can they be performed.
The fact that the song was performed on stage effectively puts an end to speculation that the song is banned.
Additional reporting by Feng Yi-ning
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