Contemporary Chinese cinema under censorship

This thesis applies Michel Foucault’s concept of power-knowledge to explore how censorship functions in contemporary Chinese cinema. Censorship is not merely repressive; it also defines what may be spoken. Here, power does not necessarily flow from above but often works in more subtle forms, such as self-censorship and internalized norms. As Foucault suggests, power is most effective when it becomes normalized and invisible. Filmmakers often preemptively adjust their creative choices, anticipating censorship without explicit directives. Censorship, therefore, influences not only what is visible on screen, but also what remains unrealized or unsaid.

“The role of propaganda and censorship is not as obvious as it may seem. At times, it is subtle; other times, it appears obvious” (Ma:2016). This duality defines contemporary Chinese cinema, where censorship functions as both a visible mechanism of control and an invisible, pervasive constraint. As Chinese cinema extends outward to the world, what defines it is not narrative or aesthetic, but the omnipresent state hand. While audiences see the final product on screen, they rarely recognize the compromises, concessions and acts of self-censorship that shaped its creation. What is left out or hidden can be as revealing as what is seen, illuminating an artistic process as much defined by exclusion as by disclosure.