After Chinese state-run TV aired this year’s Chinese New Year Gala on Feb. 18, negative feedback flooded the Chinese Internet, complaining of content that was politicized and in poor taste. A group of netizens then took the complaints one step further, seeking to end the run of the iconic show.
Dozens of Chinese jointly authored an online petition calling for the cancellation of the gala, an entertainment and propaganda extravaganza that has been the biggest event on the national stage for the most important holiday for all of its 32 years.
The petition quickly went viral and gained over 1,000 signatures in a couple of hours. However, the petition link was blocked by Internet censors the day before it would have reached its goal of 10,000 signatures, according to NTD Television based in New York City.
