Creative artists should always be given the freedom to express their own ideas (in words, pictures, music or film) in whichever way they wish. There should be no government restrictions on what they do. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

In China all kinds of arts (literary work, films, music, etc.) are strictly censored by the government, in order to prevent the proliferation of any arts that run contrary to the principles of "socialism". Some liberals assert that artists should be able to express their own ideas freely. As far as I am concerned, government regulation should be limited in the arts field.

The freedom of expressing ideas is crucial for the prosperous of arts. The appearance of profound and touching works would be hard to imagine, if the government prohibits the artists from describing the pains of common people, or forces them to exaggerate the contributions of the bureaucracy. Artists should be able to let their imaginations soar, without being penalized by possible imprisonment, so as to create great art that has the power of suggesting a world beyond. 

But we can not assume that artists should enjoy the freedom to do whatever they want without any regulation. Some artists are interested in extremely weird forms of art, which may run contrary to social ethics, or even violate the law. Any criminals should be punished, regardless of the career. Moreover, the arts with pornographic or violent contents are unfit for the teenagers to view. Teenagers' access to these fictions and films should also be regulated by the government. 

Overall, government should not interfere with the artists' actions, as long as they comply with the law. The freedom of expression is imperative for the prosperous of arts, and government meddling would only stifle the creativity of visionary and illustrious artists.