Global Courant 2023-05-18 14:06:02
Hong-Kong
CNN
—
A joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian that loosely references a slogan used to describe the country’s military has cost an entertainment company more than $2 million after being slapped with huge fines by authorities.
The costly punishment underscores the delicate line comedians must tread in China’s increasingly restrictive and heavily censored social environment and the stark consequences for those in the entertainment industry deemed to be out of line.
Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, drew the attention of authorities this week after using a phrase related to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during his comedy show at Beijing’s Century Theater last weekend.
As official backlash grew, Li canceled all of his appearances, while the entertainment company representing him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology.
On Wednesday, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism said a subsidiary of the company would be fined $1.91 million and withheld $189,000 in “illegal profits” — a clear reference to Li’s two live shows last weekend. The company was also suspended indefinitely from holding performances in the capital.
Police in Beijing on Wednesday evening said that they had opened an investigation into Li, claiming that his actions had “seriously offended” the military and caused “bad social impact”.
In 2021, China passed a law to ban any insult and slander against military personnel. Last year was a former investigative journalist convicted to seven months in prison after questioning China’s role in the Korean War as depicted in a patriotic blockbuster.
On Tuesday, police in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian detained a woman identified by her surname Shi for posting a comment on Weibo questioning why Li was suspended and referring to Chinese troops with a dog emoji. The message has since been deleted and her account has been deactivated.
“Blasphemy is not allowed for the dignity of the military personnel,” police said in a statement after her arrest.
To many, Li’s prank may seem harmless.
During the show, he started a skit about how he had adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai.
He went on to say their chase of a squirrel reminded him of eight words one day, before unleashing the controversial punchline, according to audio posted on Chinese social media site Weibo.
“Fine style of work, able to win battles,” he said, flipping a well-known Chinese Communist Party slogan, referring to the PLA.
The phrase was first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the military, when he drew up a list of the qualities he commanded from the country’s military. It has since been repeated on several official occasions and in the state media.
Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media is one of the largest producers of stand-up comedy shows in the country.
Beijing authorities concluded in a statement on Wednesday that Li’s show on Saturday “contained a plot that amounted to a grave insult to the People’s Liberation Army and created bad social influence.”
“We will never allow any company or individual to willfully defame the glorious image of the People’s Liberation Army on a stage in the (Chinese) capital, never allow people’s deep feelings for the soldiers to be hurt, and never allow it.” that serious subjects are offended. turned into entertainment,” said the culture authority.
Li had already apologized on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers.
“I will take all responsibility and cancel all my performances to think deeply and re-educate myself,” he wrote Monday.
Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media previously said it had indefinitely suspended the comedian from all productions.
Stand-up comedy has gained popularity in China in recent years against the backdrop of an emerging trend of television contests pitting witty comedians against each other.
After the sanctions were announced, some Chinese internet users took to the Twitter-like Weibo platform to praise the official body’s decision.
“Well deserved. Stand-up comedy is a low form of art that thinks it’s cultural,” one user wrote.
But others feared it could lead to a further crackdown on comedy.
China imposes strict censorship on issues it deems sensitive — from women’s cleavage to criticism of the Communist Party. That ideological control has been tightened under Xi’s rule, with major consequences for the entertainment industry.
