China: Comedy firm slapped with USD 2mn fine over military joke

Beijing [China], May 18 : A joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian that loosely referenced a slogan used to describe the country's military, cost an entertainment company more than USD 2 million after Chinese authorities hit it with massive fines, CNN reported.

The hefty punishment emphasises the fine line comedians must walk in China's increasingly tight and extensively censored social climate, as well as the severe consequences for those in the entertainment business who are perceived to have crossed it.

Li Haoshi, whose stage name is House, drew the attention of authorities this week after using a word connected with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during a comedy concert at Beijing's Century Theatre over the weekend.

As the official criticism intensified, Li cancelled all of his shows, and the company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology, according to CNN.

The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced on Wednesday that a subsidiary of the corporation would be penalised USD 1.91 million and stripped of USD 189,000 in "illegal gains" - an apparent reference to Li's two live events last weekend. The company for an undetermined period of time was also barred from performing in the capital.

On Wednesday evening, Beijing police announced the launch of an inquiry into Li, stating that his performance had "seriously insulted" the military and had a "bad social impact."

In 2021, China passed a law prohibiting insults and slander against military members.

A former investigative journalist was sentenced to seven months in prison last year after questioning China's role in the Korean War as depicted in a blockbuster patriotic film.

Li's joke may appear benign to many.

During the show, he began a sketch about how, after coming to Shanghai, he had adopted two stray dogs, as per CNN.

According to audio recorded on the Chinese social media site Weibo, he remarked that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight phrases before unleashing the controversial punchline.

"Fine style of work, capable of winning battles," he remarked, referring to the PLA with a well-known Chinese Communist Party slogan.

The phrase was initially used by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who also chairs the military, in 2013 when he laid out a list of traits he expected from the country's army. It has since been repeated at other public functions and in state media.

Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media is one of the country's largest producers of stand-up comedy shows.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Beijing authorities judged that Li's Saturday presentation featured "a plot amounting to a serious insult to the People's Liberation Army and causing a bad social influence."

The cultural authority said, "We will never allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People's Liberation Army on a stage in the [Chinese] capital, never allow the people's deep feelings for the soldiers to be hurt, and never allow serious subjects to be turned into an entertainment."

Li had already apologised to his Weibo followers by writing, "I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and re-educate myself."

CNN reported that Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media had suspended the comedian from all productions indefinitely.

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