We take our democracy and freedom for granted, indeed we take it as an entitlement.
In The Irish Times yesterday Denis Staunton tells the story of visiting a club, which is the only venue in Beijing where there is no censorship on what is performed.
He writes: "Every other live venue must submit detailed information about each performance to the local cultural department at least three days in advance. If a performer is from outside China the authorities need to know all the details of the show 20 days beforehand.
The application must include information about everyone involved in the performance, including the musicians and the promoter, and details of all the instruments and equipment to be used. All audiovisual material must be submitted for approval, along with a song list and the lyrics for each song.
If a band wants to perform a cover version of a foreign song, the lyrics must be submitted in the original language and in a Chinese translation. Lyrics should, according to the official guidelines, reflect “the right values” when dealing with life events and feelings.
The censors regularly reject material based on the song lyrics, not just for rock bands but for classical music choirs too. Choirs performing in Beijing avoid performing sacred music of any kind because they know it will not be approved.”
Dennis Staunton asked a friend who was playing at the club that evening why the normal rules did not apply at that venue, he replied: “Because they never have."
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