CCTV-1

CCTV-1 is a division, more specifically a television channel, of the major China-based broadcaster, CCTV. Being owned and governed by the Chinese Communist Party, it is often used for propaganda purposes by the Chinese government. Furthermore, western programing would almost never air on any CCTV channel, unless censored to fit in with communist principals, which can include not airing scenes or programming that actively advertises American or capitalist ideas.

Arthur on CCTV

Arthur is claimed to have started airing on CCTV-1 starting November of 2000 however, it is most likely that the show actually began airing on the same month of 2001. This was likely because CCTV had already had experience with broadcasting programming produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment (known then as CINAR) with Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat, which premiered on the network in September of the same year. CCTV built a trusting relationship with CINAR because of the show's accurate portrayal of Chinese cultures and principals which led to agreement between the two companies along with WGBH that would allow Arthur to begin airing in Mainland China. Arthur was convenient to air in the region as a Mandarin dub had already been made by AKOM, the South Korean studio that was in charge of fully animating episodes at the time. Season 1 and 10 episodes of season 2, up to "D.W. Goes to Washington/Arthur's Mystery Envelope" were aired in total.

Sudden removal from the network

Season 1 and a portion of season 2 aired on the network. Arthur would then be subsequently pulled from China following the airing of "D.W. Goes to Washington," an episode that focused on Arthur idolizing and wanting to meet the U.S. president and D.W. learning to respect the American presidential system. It is claimed to be a possibility that the episode was given to CCTV by AKOM as a mistake; however, former CINAR crew member Peter Huggan, suggested that the inclusion of the episode in the airing rotation could have been a form of protest against China. Arthur's time slot on CCTV in following days were replaced with the Chinese propaganda cartoon, Blue Cat and Space Mouse.

Trivia

• Arthur is one of the rare instances of western programing being sold to China.
• Following the "D.W. Goes to Washington" controversy, Arthur would never air in Mainland China again.
• As common for most international airings of Arthur the "And Now A Word From Us Kids" segment commonly found in PBS releases were excluded in favor of commercial breaks.
• Arthur's air cycle in China was before the Chinese law that banned commercials in-between programming in 2012.
• Arthur's disappearance from Chinese programming is the only known instance of the show being banned in it's history.
• This is not the only instance of the show being dubbed in Mandarin, in its later years, it would be dubbed for Taiwanese audiences.