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China is set to ban a list of karaoke songs that contain "harmful content" which threaten "national unity, sovereignty or territorial integrity", Xinhua reported.

What kind of songs are not allowed?

In addition, the list contains songs that violate the country's "religious policies", spread "cults and superstitions", promote "obscenity, gambling, violence and drug-related crimes or instigating crimes".

Karaoke venues are encouraged to play "healthy" songs that give out "positive energy".

The policy will take effect on Oct. 1.

According to Xinhua, there are over 50,000 entertainment venues, including karaoke bars, where more than 100,000 songs can be found in their music library.

Songs banned in the past

While the list of songs that will soon be blacklisted has yet to be named by the country's Ministry of Culture, a total of 120 songs were banned back in 2015 for promoting "obscenity, violence, crime" and for harming "social morality", CNN reported.

They include Chinese-language songs like "I love Taiwanese girls", "Fart", "Don't want to go to school", "No money no friend", and "One night stand".

In "I love Taiwanese girls", a song by Taiwanese rapper MC HotDog, who is known for his use of expletives in his lyrics, a line goes like this, "I don't love Chinese girls, I love Taiwanese girls."

In "Fart", a song by Taiwanese singer Chang Chen-yue, the opening lyrics say, "There are some people in the world who like farting while doing nothing, they think life is only meaningful with money."

The list included songs by mainland Chinese singers as well. The song "Shaking your head for fun" was banned for the title sounds the same as "head shaking pill", which is Chinese slang for the psychoactive drug ecstasy or molly.

The Chinese ministry had threatened "severe punishment" back then for websites that didn't comply with the new regulations.

Chinese online make fun of the ban

The announcement was met with disdain by Chinese social media users, with most commenters on popular microblogging site Weibo deriding the ban.

Several scoffed at the authorities encouraging "healthy" songs, and questioned the actual benefits this ban offers.

Many of them also ridiculed the authorities' decision for the music content provided by karaoke outlets are already outdated.

"You guys live in the previous century right? (repeats)"

"Everything's now required to be healthy and positive, as if I would become a proactive and positive person once I sing these proactive and positive songs. Or am I going to brainwash myself to become such a person once I sing this kind of songs 10 times?"

"Are these government departments simply looking for something to do because they're bored?? We're becoming increasingly closed up now, nothing was wrong in the past, and now all of a sudden there's a problem?? I was reminded of TV programmes, which are becoming more and more censored now, will we become like Iran, and simply censor everything in the end? I even said (in the past) that as our country becomes wealthier, we should be opening up even further."

"Some KTVs didn't add many new songs as well, can't sing even if I want to!"

"Talk about (the songs) being illegal, I can't sing the songs I want, and I've sung the old songs so many times I've gotten sick of them."

Top image adapted via CFP 

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