A Chinese television drama that was taken off the air for "technical reasons" after its central characters appeared in revealing clothing has returned to screens, but with all of the risque parts removed.
The drama, "The Empress of China," or the "Saga of Wu Zetian," tells the story of China's only known empress. It began broadcasting on December 21, but was removed a week later by commercial satellite station Hunan TV for "technical reasons."
Viewers speculated that the suspension was a punishment imposed by media regulators in response to the much-discussed revealing costumes of the show's female characters, who were nicknamed "squeezed breasts" online.
The show returned to screens on Thursday, but with edited scenes that allowed only the characters' heads to be seen.
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has not responded to inquiries.
Internet users complained that the edited version has only close-ups of the characters' faces, which greatly affects the composition and plot.
Some, however, supported the cuts.
"I could hardly look at the TV, there were so many breasts," a person with the name Jingjingmi-ko wrote on the Sina Weibo microblog.