After an episode of “South Park” that was critical of the Chinese government, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker released a tongue-in-cheek apology.
“Like the NBA, we welcome Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts,” Stone and Parker tweeted in a statement. “We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn’t look just like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful! We good now China?”
All clips, episodic reviews and show pages have reportedly been taken down on Chinese-run internet sites (Comedy Central did not respond when TheWrap asked for clarification on if the episodes was officially banned).
The episode, titled “Band in China,” heavily criticizes the growing influence that China has had over Hollywood and other American businesses, who have large financial ties in the Communist-controlled country.
The episode featured a pair of China-related storylines, one in which Randy Marsh attempts to bring his marijuana business, Tegridy Farms, to the Chinese market (in one scene, he is boarding a plane along with numerous Disney characters from Marvel and Star Wars). Another scene sees Winnie the Pooh and Piglet in a Chinese jail, a reference to China banning “Christopher Robin” after Chinese citizens made jokes that compared the appearance of Winnie the Pooh with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
The second storyline followed Stan, Jimmy, Kenny and Butters forming a metal band, which becomes popular and attracts the attention of a manager who wants to make a biopic. However, they keep having to change the script to appease Chinese government censors.