NEW YORK – The Chinese government has canceled the release of “Memoirs of a Geisha” – a decision made amid speculation that officials are worried the sight of Chinese actresses playing Japanese geishas would stir a backlash.
The film originally was cleared for a Feb. 9 distribution, but the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV reversed itself over the weekend, according to Sony Pictures Entertainment, which had planned to distribute the film in China.
The official reasons weren’t immediately clear, and Chinese authorities couldn’t be reached because offices were closed for a national holiday.
“We were pleased by their acceptance of the film in November and were disappointed by this decision,” said Jim Kennedy, a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“Memoirs,” based on the best-selling novel by Arthur Golden, features “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” star Ziyi Zhang, former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li from “Raise the Red Lantern” as geishas – entertainers skilled in dance, song and conversation.
The casting choices had stoked traditional Sino-Japanese tensions even before its scheduled release, with postings on a Chinese Web site denouncing Zhang as an embarrassment to China.
Many Chinese are still upset about Japanese World War II-era military atrocities in China.Historians generally estimate the Japanese army killed about 150,000 people during its 1937-38 occupation of China’s Nanjing city, then known as Nanking. Chinese historians put the death toll at as high as 300,000.
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