The Simpsons Makes Disney+ Debut In Hong Kong, But An Episode About China Is Curiously Missing

By Ahmad Hamizan  •  30 Nov 2021 in News

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Popular streaming service Disney+ has omitted an episode of The Simpsons from its service in Hong Kong.

Having just launched in the territory earlier this month, the entire 32-seasons is currently available to stream, except for the one which pokes fun at China, reports Vice.

In S16E12 – entitled Goo Goo Gai Pan – the show famously satirises the ruling Chinese Communist Party and makes references to the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.

It also features an agent of the Chinese government greeting the family in a tank, a reference to the iconic ‘Tank Man’ picture from that day in history.

Later on in the same episode, the Simpson family pay a visit to the fictitious mausoleum of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

The father, Homer, then refers to Mao as “a little angel that killed 50 million people”, a reference to his Great Leap Forward policy which caused mass famine in the country from 1958 to 1962.

Since being handed over from the British in 1997, the right to freedom of speech was guaranteed in Hong Kong for at least 50 years.

However, activists say that this right has been been severely impacted since the passing of a 2019 national security law, in response to the widespread pro-democracy movement and protests.

Curiously, another episode (S15E19) which features the Dalai Lama & Tibet has not been removed.

Beijing considers the region as another sensitive topic, but yet that episode is still available to stream in Hong Kong as of time of writing.