In China's Hollywood, films toe the party line

DONGYANG, China - The cameras were rolling, a smoke machine on high. A man in a Qing Dynasty robe struck powerful poses. Stunt doubles in puffy jackets threw slow-motion punches. Off set, rotund actors practiced front flips onto a dusty mat.

Meanwhile, the director, Si Xiaodong, was performing a stunt of his own: directing a film that Chinese audiences would watch, and that Chinese authorities wouldn't censor.

Si's production, "The Legend of the Tianqiao Performers," is an eight-part series for Chinese state television about folk performers at Beijing's Tianqiao market during the Qing Dynasty, which lasted from the 17th century until the early 20th century. That day in March, Si was shooting the fourth installment, about a large man nicknamed the "King of Silliness" who uses qigong - a traditional breathing and martial arts practice - to break bricks on his stomach.

"Because the government is fighting corruption, we've been told to follow guidelines," Si