Fujian Television has cut short a drama on imperial commissioner Lin Zexu's life after his descendants protested at the depiction of his younger brother as an opium addict.
The Legend of the Opium War was being aired in Guangdong province as part of a campaign to boost the image of Lin, who enforced the ban on the opium trade which led to the handing of Hong Kong to the British.
But Lin's descendants said it was false to show his second younger brother Lin Peilin as an opium addict. It was an unnecessary bid to 'artificially boost' Lin Zexu, said the Youth Daily.
Lin Peilin's descendants were also furious when the programmes described Lin Zexu as a man who 'placed righteousness above family loyalty' and punished his brother. Lin Peilin was never known to inhale opium, they said.
Dozens of descendants of Lin Peilin live in Fuzhou. They were said to be fearful the programmes could damage relations between the two sides of the family.
Lin Zexu's father, Lin Binri, and mother, Chen, had three sons and eight daughters.