A Chinese drama series returned on television on New Year's Day after weeks of suspension due to technical errors, China Entertainment News reported.
"The Empress of China," one of the most expensive shows that China has ever produced, was suspended a week after it began broadcasting on Dec. 21, 2014. Hunan TV, a commercial satellite station, announced a "temporary pause due to technical difficulties."
Meanwhile, viewers speculated on the Web that the suspension was a punishment imposed by The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) regulators due to the female characters' revealing costumes, China Entertainment News said.
The Hollywood Reporter, an online entertainment news portal, pointed out that SAPPRFT cover scenes of one-night stands, extramarital affairs, partner-swapping, flirtation, rape, incest, necrophilia, prostitution, sexual perversion and masturbation.
"The Empress of China," a widely popular historical drama, is also known as the "Saga of Wu Zetian." Zetian was the only known empress of China. She was the only female emperor who ruled during the Tang Dynasty, which is considered as one of the greatest dynasties in ancient China. During this era, women were known as having unrestricted rights and freedom. They were also known to wear revealing attire.
Drama Fever revealed that Chinese viewers were disappointed because the drama's previous 17 episodes became close-up head shots, hiding all cleavage scenes. These episodes greatly affected the drama's composition and plot. The beautiful court ladies became "talking heads," Drama Fever added.
"The Empress of China" features Fan Bingbing and Zhang Junning, both popular TV hosts in China.
News site ent.163.com reported that the show's first episode broke records for TV drama viewership.