China Issues New ‘Citizen Moral Construction’ Guide — No Porn!

The government of China is making a push to increase the “moral quality” of Chinese citizens, and earlier this week, the country’s communist rulers published a new set of written guidelines for the “moral” conduct of China’s people. Chief among the new principles now prescribed by the government: no porn. According to a report by the French Press Agency, the Chinese government’s Central Commission for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress on Sunday issued a new guidebook, ominously titled, Outline for the Implementation of Citizen Moral Construction in the New Era.  The book contains numerous recommendations, which given the behavior of the Chinese government will likely turn out to be more than mere suggestions, for improving what it calls “Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese power." High on the list of priorities—no online porn. In fact, not only does the government want the Chinese populace to shun porn online, but even run-of-the-mill “vulgarity” is also to be avoided, in the interests of “citizen moral construction.” On the other hand, the guidelines seem to be an acknowledgement that the Chinese government’s long-running crackdown on porn may not be working. As AVN.com has reported, porn is illegal in China, and the government even offers sizable rewards for snitching on porn producers and creators. Those rewards extend up to $120,000 for ratting out the pornographer next door. That sum is almost 12 times the average wage earned annually by Chinese workers. Nonetheless, as a study published in April showed, Chinese people watch plenty of porn anyway. Among urban dwellers, 70 percent of Chinese men and half of all women responded to the survey by saying that they watch porn at least once per week.  The new Chinese moral “guidelines” were not limited to the implied prohibition on porn-viewing. The publication also included general rules for how much a wedding should cost, national dress codes, and the accepted way to sing the Chinese national anthem. The guidelines also call on libraries and local youth centers to provide "targeted moral education" to improve the moral standards of the Chinese population. Photo By RoyalCathayan / Wikimedia Commons