Why was it banned in China?

The film was banned in China. We just discussed this topic in my Chinese film class for my Chinese BA. This does not mean the film was not readily available and in semi-wide release.

Rather, it was "publicly denounced," this is another form of banning where the director (Zhang Yimou) was not allowed to receive any in-country financing from film companies for several years. He, along with Chen Kaige and other Chinese fifth-generation directors were periodically given such a banning whenever their films reflected negatively on the government or people of China.

In this case, Zhang Yimou was ridiculed for the film's international debut which "Propagated a viewpoint that Chinese were polygamists." He was first attacked in the media, and later by communist officials.

To my knowledge, the color-red and such lantern symbolism was not an issue. Red is a celebratory color in Chinese culture with huge significance, and was around much longer than Communists. If you want to see Yimou criticize Communism through the color red, watch the birthing scene in "To Live."

This wasn't the only banning Yimou received, he received a banning for Yellow Earth and later To Live.

Interesting. Now that you mention it - maybe the film is equating Communism with the old system - saying it is just as oppressive.

I definately see criticisms of Communism: supression of the arts (opera singer, burning her flute), rendering education useless, cutting ties with heritage, bribery and corruption etc.

I agree wholeheartedly. The Chinese population currently is certainly more diverse than any western country I know (especially those of the McDonald persuasion). Only nobody can predict how it will be 10 years from now. Will they have decimated each other with their new cars ;-) ?
It is a fact that you can find any movie that ever was released on DVD here on some street corner, in almost professional wrap. Just don't look too closely at the sleeve text ;-). The problem is "finding" the one you want. Most of what you see is the "Die hard" or Kung Fu garbage type. But once in a while there is a treasures by Truffaut or Fassbinder, out of print anywhere else.

It may be more interesting how long a movie was "officially" shown. Of course it doesn't really matter, considering that a theater ticket is much more expensive than your average pirated copy (Shenzhen: 40RMB theatre vs. 4 RMB on the street). The "Red Lantern" never had a problem, I just recently saw it on local TV. Others ("To Live", "Farewell...") according to my wife were shown only shortly and then never again. But educated people know them. A few are almost unknown, such as "Ju Dou", probably because it has infidelity as its topic. But what is the difference to "cleaned" US DVDs? They even erased the naked boobs in "The Eiger Sanction" for Pete's sake ...

A while ago we saw Antonioni's "Cina" in Europe and my Chinese wife was thrilled, because that movie had been denounced in the 70s as a lie and banned until today. Antonioni is the Devil. However everybody of that generation knows it by name! She and anybody who have seen it, do not understand why it is still banned. For a person from Beijing it is almost nostalgic to see donkey carts on Tian An Men Square. Maybe because allowing it would prove the party of the 70s liars?

-gh, another movie fan

Rob 78, you are a moron. I am an Englishman, and I am a teacher in a school in China, and creativity and imagination is not stifled. My students have a wild imagination, and are very quick and witty. They are more creative than most of the children in English schools
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I am very surprised that a person who teaches young children everyday, would stoop so low as to insult another person on the board this way. I surely hope you don't speak to your students the same way when they do/don't make mistakes.
And how do you know that they are more creative than students in America or any other country, for that matter? Why do you need to insult our country as a whole? This person who you are talking about is most likely a little naive on the subject or this was what they saw or heard, so you being a teacher, you should have found a more mature way to explain to him what really happens in China instead of berating him and all of the other Americans, especially the young ones who can't defend themselves. Try a little tact and diplomacy. Please. It will get you a lot further, and earn you more respect.