“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which was scheduled to be re-released in China from April 9, has been pulled from cinemas, replaced by 12 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda films. The trilogy has not played in Chinese cinemas since 2002, with many Chinese fans only ever watching the films on cellphones and computers. CCP Political Needs One Chinese media outlet stated that the sudden withdrawal of “The Lord of the Rings” is to make way for Chinese films, as the CCP’s Film Administration issued a notice on March 19 explicitly requiring all cinemas to show at least two officially designated propaganda films a week from April 1 to the end of December, to assist the CCP’s celebration of its 100th anniversary. Nine of the 12 propaganda films that have replaced “The Lord of the Rings” are remakes of pre-Cultural Revolution films that broadly tell the story of the CCP’s armed seizure …