Cartoon suspended after complaints that its characters convey wrong values

One of China’s most popular TV stations, Hunan Television, has suspended a cartoon series after some netizens claimed the cartoon offered the wrong “value guidance” for children as the characters in the program dyed their hair in different colors and wore garish clothes.

In a letter of response, Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS), China’s second-biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV), said the station has paid a lot of attention to the comments and has made the necessary rectification.

“The domestically made cartoon, Shining Star, tells the story of a group of teenage girls who work together, go through hardships and strive to achieve their common goals. The animation aims to convey positive energy to the audience: Face difficulties and never give up,” the TV station said in its response.

There are many characters in the cartoon and to help the audience quickly distinguish between them, the producers decided to use different hair color, it continued.

“It does not aim to encourage dying of hair,” the TV station said.

Previously, China’s attitude toward people with unnatural hair color was not positive. It was the consensus that hair color is connected to how “educated” a person is perceived to be. People who dyed their hair and got tattoos were generally regarded in a negative way.

Some netizens agreed with the complaints but many said it was an overreaction to suspend the cartoon series as dying hair nowadays is quite normal. Some mocked the complaints, asking whether cartoons with animals who can speak should also be banned as they can “talk” like demons.

Photo: VCG Popsicles seen by the West Lake in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday recreate the scene of a couple from the Chinese romantic legend White Snake meeting at the lake’s “broken bridge.”