A popular Chinese cartoon suddenly stopped airing on China Central Television's Children's Channel on February 26 after 89 episodes were broadcast. Rumor has it that some parents' complaints of "violence,” "implied sex," and "explicit language" that caused the suspension. However, CCTV's working staff denied the rumor and said they are going to re-broadcast the cartoon at a different time.

On February 26, many Chinese children were waiting before their televisions for Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: Legend of Seven Cavaliers. However, those young fans found that the familiar faces had suddenly disappeared. Rumors soon circulated in the media that parents had complained to the national TV station and convinced them to cancel the show.?

But a staffer working for the Children's Channel told China.org.cn via telephone today that the rumors are not true. "CCTV's censorship is very strict. If there had been any violence and sex scenes in any program, we would cut them before its actual broadcasting on TV screens, let alone the fact it is a children's cartoon," he said.

"This cartoon has not been terminated. It is just normal program re-arrangement, because February 26 was the day when schools' winter vacations were over." He added that CCTV is intending to rebroadcast the cartoon in a new time slot when the whole channel program rearrangement is finished.

Despite CCTV's explanation, China Youth Daily reported yesterday that many young fans are furious at the suspension. Some media reports have led kids to believe it was freelancer Liu Shuhong who caused the cancellation. The writer once posted an entry on his blog, asking CCTV to withdraw the cartoon "full of violence and sex and wrong values," which was supported by many parents on various Internet forums and message boards.

But a student from a Nanjing primary school told China Youth Daily that he felt adults don't know their children and often underestimate them. He said every TV production has two sides, and children can judge what is wrong and what is right.

Another 11-year-old said he could see "team work" and the "spirit of fighting against evil" in the cartoon. "The adult-recommended Journey to the West is also a story full of violence. But what the story wants to do is teaching people how to persist in their goals."

The Chinese cartoon classic the Calabash Brothers' screenwriter Yao Zhongli recalled that the Calabash Brothers, though highly popular in China, was also considered as a production with "violent tendencies and not appropriate for children" in the United States.?
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Some netizens suggest parental guidance is needed, but parents should not ask cartoon producers to shoulder all the educational responsibilities.

According to Chengdu Business, CCTV's suspension of the cartoon may not cause a big loss for its production company since the 108-episode Legend of Seven Cavaliers has helped Hunan Great Dreams Cartoon Media Co. Ltd. earn about 30 million yuan net-income via the TV and book publishing markets.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, March 5, 2007)