Blame It On The Games

The Chinese Ministry of Culture is reportedly seeking implementation of a new policy for publicly exposing artists who lip-synch or otherwise engage in “fake” acts in concert.

Repeat offenders, in fact, will have their performing licenses revoked.

The ministry has asked for “public opinion” on a draft amendment to existing legislation regarding commercial performances that would ban lip-synching, The Beijing News reported.

When amendments to legislation reach the public opinion stage in China, it usually means the law has already been fixed and simply awaits the rubber stamp of the Chinese parliament.

Text of the amendment posted on the ministry’s Web site states that “performers must not cheat the public by lip-synching, and concert organizers must not arrange for performers to lip-synch.”

It also called on concert organizers to “dispatch personnel for supervision, to guard against lip-synching from happening.”

The amendment likely was drafted as a response to worldwide media attention last summer after it was revealed that a 9-year-old girl lip-synched during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

However, locally, the lip-synching scandal that made more of an impression happened in February, when superstar actress Zhang Ziyi was accused of doing a poor job of faking it on a high-rated TV gala to celebrate Chinese New Year.

In fact, since the announcement was made, Chinese bloggers have wondered how the amendment will affect Chinese television, which is known to be quite dependent on lip-synching.

Cui Jian, China’s biggest rock singer-songwriter, has repeatedly turned down requests to appear on CCTV because producers insist that he lip-synch.