Yang began writing traditional Chinese poetry while working in the countryside, despite this genre of poetry being officially proscribed under the rule of Mao Zedong.

So the ceremony was officially proscribed ... and yet inevitably, some of the men, at least, were going ahead with the initiations anyway.

Its private everyday use was never officially proscribed by law but diminished because of the political situation, mostly in the major urban nuclei.

All have been officially proscribed as heresy in very explicit terms by the Roman Catholic Church.

The Moslem Brotherhood's numbers are uncounted, its popularity unpolled since it is officially proscribed as a political party.

The Catholic Church, officially proscribed by Moscow, remained strong and influential, even underground.

Home satellite dishes are officially proscribed.

The practice of plural marriage has never been officially proscribed in the Strangite church, unlike in the LDS church.

French hussars also wore cadenettes, braids of hair hanging either side of the face, until the practice was officially proscribed when shorter hair became universal.

Alcohol, though officially proscribed, is freely available.