First X-Rated Movie in China

About the history of the first x-rated movie in China.

UNUSUAL FIRSTS

THE FIRST X-RATED MOVIE IN CHINA

As a sign of a more tolerant intellectual climate, the first X-rated movie allowed inside the People's Republic of China was shown throughout the country in 1978. The Japanese-made film depicted the struggles of a young girl sold into prostitution by her parents. The nation's most respected cultural journal defended the movie, explaining that it had "enlightened and educated" its audiences by expanding the narrow view of morality imposed by Mao's wife and other members of the notorious "Gang of Four."