The number of soap operas and TV dramas depicting extramarital affairs may be reduced.

The Beijing-based Legal Evening News reported that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television is planning restrictions, although no timetable has been set.

Some scholars hit back, saying the market should decide what is suitable content for a TV series, not the government.

Television series featuring crime and soap operas showing ancient China or marriage and family life used to be the focus of TV popular culture.

However, as it was believed that soap operas about crime could have a negative impact on young people, the administration decided in 2004 to withdraw such TV series from prime time slots on major stations.

It also decided to restrict the number of soap operas showing actors wearing "ancient" costumes in ancient times.

This was because they thought many of the dramas made fun of history and were badly produced.

More soap operas then focused on extramarital affairs, sources said, because the producers thought they would have a larger audience than before.

Zhang Yiwu, an arts professor at Peking University, told the Beijing-based Youth Times that although soap operas on marriage issues have many shortcomings, the government should deal with the issue prudently.

"Many people love to watch such television series. Such operas also give warnings not to break the law."

He noted that it was the needs of the audience that had resulted in such a large number of soap operas.

However, the Legal Evening News reported that viewers have been paying less attention to programmes featuring extramarital affairs,

This, according to Hou Xindong, a film and television critic, was partly because there were too many storylines similar to each other, with many imitating previous successful programmes.

"At first, audiences were interested in the stories. But later on they began to think writers had exhausted their creative powers," he said.

The Legal Evening News said an online survey showed that over half the people questioned said soap operas showing extramarital affairs would have a negative impact on the stability of marriage and affect the development of young people.

"Too many television series exaggerating extramarital affairs can make juveniles believe that kind of relationship is acceptable," film and television director Zheng Xiaolong was quoted as saying.

Ma Yong, who works for a television and production company in Beijing, said soap operas were often too extreme and too dramatic, not really reflecting reality.

"But we cannot always stress extramarital affairs merely for dramatic effect. In fact these operas are not in line with basic social morality and principles," Ma said.

TV drama writer Chang Yu thought that although extramarital affairs existed, they were not as serious as in soap operas.

"Producers should investigate real life more, to create marriage and family soap operas," Chang said.

Well-known director Yang Yazhou advised that more family issues, such as relationships between parents and children, should be aired in soap operas.