China cracking down on karaoke songs that 'endanger national unity'

NEW YORK - China is planning a crackdown on karaoke songs it considers subversive or a threat to national unity.

According to the state-run Zinhua news agency, the country's Ministry of Culture is proposing to create a list of forbidden songs to be sung at karaoke venues. 

The list would contain any songs with content that "endangers national unity, sovereignty or territorial integrity; violates China's religious policies and spreads cults and superstitions; and advocates obscenity, gambling, violence and drug-related crimes or instigating crimes."

According to the report, China has nearly 50,000 entertainment venues like karaoke bars, which have a music library of over 100,000 songs.

The South China Morning Post reports that karaoke venues would be responsible for policing their song lists and deleting any songs that violate the new rules. 

In 2020, China banned over 100 songs it identified as harmful, and previously banned songs have included an interesting range of titles, including "I Love Taiwanese Girls," "Fart," "Beijing Hooligans" and "Don't Want to Go to School."

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