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  • #1

    Civ IV Censored For China?

    An strange curiosity I noticed with 1.61 is that a lot of China related items had their names changed in the text files. This caused problems with mods, so there had to be some reasoning behind it. Here are some of the items that had their names changed in the XML files.

    Mao Zedong was changed to simply "Chinese Leader".
    Qin's entries were unchanged however.

    Forbidden Palace was changed to Great Palace

    Three Gorges Dam was changed to Great Dam

    Communism was changed to Utopia.

    This doesn't effect how they appear in game, but I do find it strange that all of these entries were suddenly changed. Could this be part of an effort to introduce Civ IV to China?
    http://monkspider.blogspot.com/
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  • #2
    Well, Civ never had Mao in China...
    Solver, WePlayCiv Co-Administrator
    Contact: solver-at-weplayciv-dot-com
    I can kill you whenever I please... but not today. - The Cigarette Smoking Man

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    • #3
      Are there any chinese players on this site? Or does the Chinese government block this site out?

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      • #4
        I'm surprised at most of the changes. How would Mao as a leader be offensive in China? The Forbidden Palace and the 3 Gorges Dam are both known as that in English in China. I guess the Communism as Utopia could be part of the propaganda, but it really seems unnecessary. Chinese are taught that Communism and Utopia are generally synonimous. It seems rather weird.
        “As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
        "Capitalism ho!"

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        • #5
          I think monkspider wins the "Apolytoner with the most time on his hands" award...
          THEY!!111 OMG WTF LOL LET DA NOMADS AND TEH S3D3NTARY PEOPLA BOTH MAEK BITER AXP3REINCES
          AND TEH GRAAT SINS OF THERE [DOCTRINAL] INOVATIONS BQU3ATH3D SMAL
          AND!!1!11!!! LOL JUST IN CAES A DISPUTANT CALS U 2 DISPUT3 ABOUT THEYRE CLAMES
          DO NOT THAN DISPUT3 ON THEM 3XCAPT BY WAY OF AN 3XTARNAL DISPUTA!!!!11!! WTF

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          • #6
            Originally posted by LordShiva
            I think monkspider wins the "Apolytoner with the most time on his hands" award...
            http://monkspider.blogspot.com/

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            • #7
              what a stupid changes have done, haven´t they? Forbidden palace-Great Palace? what about a bit of humility?
              Law protects you, protect the law.

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              • #8
                I still don't agree with Beijing as a city name.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by LordShiva
                  I think monkspider wins the "Apolytoner with the most time on his hands" award...
                  another vote here
                  anti steam and proud of it

                  CDO ....its OCD in alpha order like it should be

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                  • #10
                    I noticed those same changes in the XML files after the patch. They irritated me, and I just assumed they were accidental changes. I wonder why XML fields would offend China, though? I mean, as you said, you can't see these changes in the game itself--they do nothing to effect the end results.
                    One of these days I'll make 501 posts, and you won't have to look at my silly little diplomat anymore.
                    "Oh my God, what a fabulous room. Are all these your guitars?"

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Dis
                      I still don't agree with Beijing as a city name.
                      Didn't the original Civ from 1992 have "Peking"?

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by DaShi
                        I'm surprised at most of the changes. How would Mao as a leader be offensive in China?
                        When his likeness and persona is being used for commercial gain. He's a state symbol, it's strictly taboo to use him for any business venture.

                        The Forbidden Palace and the 3 Gorges Dam are both known as that in English in China.
                        But the Forbidden Palace is a symbol of China's imperialistic/dynastic past, and the Communists don't want any attention brought to that period of their history. Part of the original Communist revolt dealt with the struggle against the remaining remnants of that system of government. Chiang Ki Shek (sp?) hadn't entirely stamped out it out previously, before he was overthrown. So the Communists in a sense were battling two different forms of government.

                        The 3 Gorges Dam has me somewhat baffled though. It would seem to me that they would be proud of that particular accomplishment. Although someone pointed out that there's a great deal of controversy with the project due to the sheer number of people that were displaced, with little or no compensation.

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                        • #13
                          That's odd, when I was in Beijing 2 years ago I could have sworn that a popular dining establishment there beared a likeness of Mao on its sign.

                          All of us Americans called it "General Mao's Chicken" just like Colonel Sanders. It was red and white too....very similar....

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                          • #14
                            The German version attribute's Fascism's blub to "a German Dictator" rather than Hitler.

                            The name Hitler is taboo, but in no way forbidden, in Germany. Making any attempt to suggest that Hitler was not inherently evil is especially taboo.

                            This is pure speculation, but there is no real legal justification for Firaxis' self-censorship. (Nonetheless, self-censorship is exceptionally common, as one of my professor's is demonstrating in the writing of Goethe.) Their censorship of Hitler's commentary on the gullibility of the masses is probably an over-precaution.
                            "The human race would have perished long ago if its preservation had depended only on the reasoning of its members." - Rousseau
                            "Vorwärts immer, rückwärts nimmer!" - Erich Honecker
                            "If one has good arms, one will always have good friends." - Machiavelli

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Frank Johnson
                              That's odd, when I was in Beijing 2 years ago I could have sworn that a popular dining establishment there beared a likeness of Mao on its sign.

                              All of us Americans called it "General Mao's Chicken" just like Colonel Sanders. It was red and white too....very similar....
                              I'm only going by what someone mentioned in another forum. Obviously there's a reason why the Chinese government would want those types of changes made, and that seems a rather plausible suggestion.

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