A joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian, Li Haosh that loosely referenced a slogan associated with 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 remember while walking in China’s increasingly tight and extensively censored social culture, as well as the severe consequences for those in the entertainment business who are perceived to have crossed it. Li Haoshi, also known by his stage name 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.
During the show, he began telling about how, after coming to Shanghai, he had adopted two stray dogs. He then remarked that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of the phrase “Fine style of work, capable of winning battles,” referring to the PLA with a well-known Chinese Communist Party slogan.
As the official criticism intensified, Li cancelled all of his shows, and the company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced 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 will also be barred from performing in the capital.