President Xi Jinping’s efforts to stamp out graft and corruption in the government was a signal for the Communist Party of China (CPC) to use television to send the message the Beijing will continue to run after corrupt officials.
A 2015 meeting between the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Films and Television (SAPPRFT) resulted in the production of a TV series with an anti-corruption theme, reported Beijing Youth Daily.
The show, “In the Name of the People,” would have a top government official higher than a minister or provincial governor as a villain. TV series are very powerful ways of reaching the people, as proven by the recent airing of "Descendants of the Sun" over video platform iQiyi which attracted billions of views by Chinese televiewers.
However, in 2004, the SAPPFRT ordered lesser number of TV shows with anti-corruption themes. The change in policy is an indicator of the CPC’s confidence in its political system, including the anti-corruption systems, noted Su Wei, professor at the Party School of the CPC Chonqing Committee.
“In the Name of the People” would aim to address the low output using artistic creativity to boost China’s anti-corruption drive which had netted a lot of high officials under Xi’s rule, said Yin Hong vice dean of the Tsinghua University School of Journalism and Communication.
To write the script for the upcoming show, the CCDI had Lu Tianming, a known Chinese scriptwriter, visit a maximum security prison in August 2015 to look for materials for the series which is being filmed with a budget of 120 million yuan ($18.46 million).
Because of his anti-corruption drive, the president has been portrayed by western media as one of the most ruthless leaders in modern history by comparing his as a new Mao Zedong, the founder of the CPC. As a result, even if Xi was on the cover of Time and The Economist, Beijing blocked the websites of the two magazines in China, reported CNN.