After the removal of the Chinese drama "The Empress of China," also known as "The Saga of Wu Zetian," from Hunan TV for technical reasons in late December, many fans speculated that this was really because of the "controversial" costumes of the female characters.
A change in the look of the actresses and the noted removal of scenes wherein their cleavage can be scene confirm this.
Even though "The Empress of China" was removed out of "technical reasons," viewers believe that this must be more about the show portraying female characters in revealing costumes.
"Many viewers speculated the suspension was a punishment given by the country's television regulators for the much-discussed revealing costumes of female characters on the show, which stirred online debate in which the female characters were dubbed 'squeezed breasts'," Xinhua reported.
Although the show returned in January, viewers were surprised to see that the "squeezed breasts" they have gotten used to seeing on the show are now gone. They are now replaced by close-up shots of the actresses. Viewers find this change disappointing.
An online survey by Sina Weibo asking how viewers feel about the new look of the actresses showed that more than 95 percent do not like the revision. The netizens who participated in the survey said that they understand that the revealing costumes were part of Chinese historical culture, and therefore, alterations on the scenes are just unnecessary.
One netizen explained: "This is not just showing the beauty of the human body, but also the culture of the Tang Dynasty. Now the whole show is left with just heads. I can't see any of the sets or costumes. Very disappointing."