The pornography was shown late January 16 and early the next day on a station in Pingshan county in Hebei province, the Beijing Morning Post said Monday, adding the broadcast "caused a bad social effect." The newspaper said the county government had fired Liu Junzeng, director of the Pingshan Film and Television Administration, and deputy director Shen Cunhuai. Three other officials were also being investigated.

China has taken a tough stance on pornography, especially on TV and the Internet. Last month, the creator of China's largest pornographic Web site was jailed for life.

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The government encourages Internet use for education and business, but strictly controls content and tries to block access to material deemed pornographic or subversive.

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