E Gao Ergo Parody

It seems a little too good to be true. From China to be able to amble around the Internet glimpsing videos of pretty much anything via YouTube. There's that glimpse of George W. Bush giving Angela Merkel a quick shoulder rub, or a view of the most famous head butt in modern sporting history and time to pore over clips of Asia's leading heartthrob, the bespectacled Korean star Bae Yung Joon.

Yes, it looks as if those days are numbered. And this young man, Hu Ge, and his passion for parody may have played a role.

Here's a link to his hilarious spoof that sends up "The Promise", the latest from renowned film director Chen Kaige and the most expensive film ever made in China. Here's Mr Chen doing what he does best.

But spoofing, or e gao in Chinese, has become something of a phenomenon in China. It has provoked widespread debate and this thoughtful piece in the China Daily. Plus a look at spoofing in China.

Yesterday, it was time for me to write a piece on the plans of those mandarins who are custodians of the spiritual health of the Chinese people.

And here it is...

China has bad news for vloggers. Under new regulations proposed by China’s censors as part of Beijing’s race to keep control of Chinese cyberspace, anyone wanting to post short videos on the Internet will need approval.

Targets of the latest move by the powerful State Administration for Radio Film and Television to regulate Internet content are online spoofs of films, celebrities and Communist Party icons.

It was only a matter of time before the censors moved against online video with the aim of preventing Chinese from using the hugely popular YouTube site that enables anyone in the world to upload and share their own videos and is the 18^th most popular site in the world.

The new regulations, which have yet to be formally approved, have been under study for six months by SARFT officials as they government tries to keep pace with the rapid innovations on the Internet and the freedoms available to share information.

In February, "Murder Over a Steamed Bun", a 20-minute film sending up CHina’s most expensive film, the costume drama "The Promise", and mocking the stonefaced news reading of state television presenters, brought instant fame to young Internet prankster Hu Ge. Chen Kaige, the director and the doyen of Chinese contemporary film makers, threatened legal action.

Would-be vloggers, or video loggers, will only be allowed to post their content on sites designated by the authorities and will first have to seek permission from the managers of those sites. They will be banned from posting content that humiliates, libels or infringes the legal rights of others, the regulations state.

Also forbidden is the posting of content from foreign television channels – thus closing off a loophole that would allow Chinese to bypass the censors to post news items or shows at odds with the views of the censors.

One Internet expert with close ties to SARFT, but who declined to be identified, said: “My colleagues and I think that this will be useless. How do you control this?”

Hu Ge, China’s most renowned video prankster, told The Times: “Individuals will still be able to make a ‘flash’. It will just be more difficult to share it with others. But there are so many Chinese ‘YouTubes’ at the moment that I guess the authorities will find it difficult to manage.” He said he would share his work via instant messaging.

The new law would bolster a regulation issued in 2004 requiring the censor's approval for the distribution of all audio-visual material on the Internet, mobile phones, television and other media.

Liu Jianhui, a censorship official at SARFT, said: “SARFT has established a quite advanced Internet audio-visual monitoring centre and plans to set up monitoring centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. Connected with each province, a timely, effective monitoring system will be formed."

Despite existing regulations, a rash of unapproved video spoofs parodying popular culture and targeting iconic Chinese figures have emerged online in recent months, often created by hobbyists and some becoming hugely popular.

In July, the short film, "China Wins the World Cup!", parodied film star Jackie Chan, China’s underperforming national football side and TV announcer Huang Jianxiang's overzealous rant in praise of Italy's victory over Australia in a World Cup knock-out match.

China has several home-made sites similar to YouTube, including www.toodou.com, www.56.com and www.yoqoo.com which are the main media for Chinese to post their video clips. It was unclear whether these sites would receive approval in the latest step in China’s Internet crackdown.

Just for fun, and to make this posting a little more alluring, here's a still from "The Promise."