--- title: Chinese Censors Cut 6 Minutes From Game of Thrones Premiere description: The season eight premiere shown in China was only 48 minutes long, 6 minutes shorter than the original, with key scenes removed. canonical: https://time.com/5571377/game-of-thrones-season-8-china-censorship/ author: Hillary Leung article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-16T07:23:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:58:39.114Z og:title: Chinese Censors Cut 6 Minutes From Game of Thrones Premiere og:description: "It feels like a whole century was cut out," one fan said og:url: https://time.com/5571377/game-of-thrones-season-8-china-censorship/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85e221629eb67ae7/698948687cdbac39d2d5f5de/gettyimages-579450520.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Comic-Con International 2016 - Day 3 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chinese Censors Cut 6 Minutes From Game of Thrones Premiere twitter:description: "It feels like a whole century was cut out," one fan said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85e221629eb67ae7/698948687cdbac39d2d5f5de/gettyimages-579450520.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'It Feels Like a Whole Century Was Cut Out.' 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Hillary Leung](https://time.com/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Apr 16, 2019 7:23 AM UTC  The Iron Throne display at the Hall of Faces presented by the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones" at Comic-Con International on July 22, 2016 in San Diego, California. The Iron Throne display at the Hall of Faces presented by the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones" at Comic-Con International on July 22, 2016 in San Diego, California. Daniel Knighton—FilmMagic by [Hillary Leung](https://time.com/author/hillary-leung/) ## Hillary Leung Apr 16, 2019 7:23 AM UTC _Game of Thrones_ fans in China are not happy that the season premiere they watched on the country’s online streaming platform was heavily censored, with six minutes’ worth of action — including what some say are key scenes — removed. The first episode of the eighth and last season clocked in at [54 minutes long](http://time.com/5550596/how-long-every-game-of-thrones-season-8-episode/), but the version Chinese fans watched was [just 48 minutes](https://www.weibo.com/1235640127/HpSjNDF8S). In China, the popular fantasy series is streamed [exclusively](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-17/game-of-thrones-is-coming-to-phones-in-china-thanks-to-tencent) on tech giant Tencent’s video platform. HBO has been blocked in the country since June of last year [following a segment](http://time.com/5321945/hbo-china-john-oliver-xi-jinping/) on _Last Week Tonight with John Oliver_ in which the comedian criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping. “It feels like a whole century was cut out,” [said one user](https://www.weibo.com/2341697932/HpLSmdOwe) on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. “They’ve sanitized the episode and removed all the action and excitement,” another [complained](https://www.weibo.com/6207159095/HpQD9hSX2). “It’s like I’ve paid to watch a family drama.” Online, social media users discussed which scenes had been cut, sharing clips of the redacted scenes and remarking on their relevance to the episode. The [redaction](https://www.weibo.com/5995970700/HpMKP5BEd) of a more violent scene showing a message from the White Walkers, the supernatural humanoid creatures who pose a threat to the fictitious continent of Westeros, was met with criticism. That particular moment [has been discussed](http://time.com/5570506/game-of-thrones-spiral/) by fans as a significant and defining portion of the episode. A sex scene involving one of the soldiers, Bronn, and three prostitutes was also taken out. One user [said](https://www.weibo.com/6115865506/HpQXrrhZS) he understood the removal of the lewd parts, but disagreed with the removal of the White Walkers scene. “I didn’t even know that important part happened,” he commented. “Why would you delete these scenes which are crucial to the plot?” Chinese broadcasters routinely impose censorship in its media. Gay scenes [were redacted](http://time.com/5541656/china-bohemian-rhapsody-censor-lgbtq/) from Oscar-winning _Bohemian Rhapsody_ when it landed in China last month, and last year, authorities [banned](http://time.com/5112061/china-hip-hop-ban-tattoos-television/) rappers and actors with tattoos from appearing on television. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5571377/game-of-thrones-season-8-china-censorship/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5571377/game-of-thrones-season-8-china-censorship/"},"headline":"'It Feels Like a Whole Century Was Cut Out.' 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