China has again exercised its censorship powers when the popular Chinese period drama, "The Empress of China," was abruptly pulled off the air for days only to reappear with the scenes zoomed in to reveal close-up shoots of the female characters.

The edited images underscore the increasing censorship  control of the government on media, deciding for themselves what or what not to air on tv, internet, and movies.

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Netizens have created a new meme for the drama--"The chaste and unexplainable close-up."

The anti-cleavage campaign is one of the many forms of censorship being done by China and is the latest step in its tightening hold on the media.

China censorship offices have put limits on talent, shows and dating. Observers said it will closely scrutinize foreign movies being streamed online as well as television shows and other internet movie sites.

The incident came on the heels of China's campaign to inculcate more positive moral and content in  the entertainment industry.

China's Administration of Press, Publication, Movies, Radio and TV declined to comment on the matter. The producers of "Empress of China" also declined to comment for fear that its show will be pulled off the air for good.

The producers earlier said that the show went off the air for 'technical reasons.'

Netizens scorned this latest censorship and expressed apathy over the show.

"People care less about the cleavage," said Red Zhiquiang, a Chinese property mogul and prominent online commentator on his Weibo account.

"They are more concerned about the group of cultural gangsters that's managing approvals," he added.

The "Empress of China" is about the story of a famous empress of the Tang Dynasty named Wu Zetian played by actress Fang Bingbing.

The Tang Dynasty is the most prosperous period in China's history and also, one of its less conservative.

The show debuted on television last December 21, scoring high ratings and making the drama one of the most watched shows on television.

TagsEmpress Of China, censorship, Cleavage, television drama