Literary censorship and self-censorship in China: Two case studies

Starting with Mao Zedong's "Talks at the Yan'an Forum" delivered in May 1942, literature in China was seen as the key tool of propaganda. Censorship has been a natural part of the Chinese literary system established after the founding of the PRC. The centralized, state-controlled literary establishment was gradually abolished during the post -Mao era, but the basic principles in the official Party discourse remain. Two case studies focused on one of the most sensitive topics, minority nationalities, provide a deeper insight into the ideological backgrounds and aims of Chinese censorship, which can be summed up by notions of social harmony (hexie) and stability (weiwen)