They are not taking any chances

A few days ago the BBC reported that the Chinese authorities, ever mindful of the people's welfare, have taken an important step towards ensuring its intellectual aspect.

China has ordered TV stations across the country not to air any detective shows, spy thrillers or dramas about time-travel for the next three months.

All have been ordered off-air with immediate effect.

An official at China's state TV regulator confirmed to the BBC that the verbal order had been made.

China's Communist Party is preparing to mark 90 years since its founding and the authorities want TV stations to air programmes praising the party instead.

One must admit it is an odd choice of programmes to be taken off air unless, of course, those were the only ones shown regularly on Chinese TV, which does not seem to be the case entirely:

Wang Weiping, the deputy chief of the drama department at China's state TV regulator, called this a "propaganda period".

There are "dozens of good TV dramas related to the founding of the party" that stations can broadcast, he told the Beijing News.

Oriental TV in Shanghai told the BBC it was postponing its spy drama Qing Mang, due to air in 10 days time. It will be replaced by a comedy about mothers and their daughters-in-law.

Somehow the notion of "dozens of good TV dramas related to the founding of the party" does not fill me with any excitement. What, I cannot help wondering, are they afraid of? Wrong ideas or simply people not paying attention to the anniversary?