A joke about Xi Jinping’s military motto put Li Haoshi under investigation. He could end up in jail, although the accusation has not yet been formalized. The production company’s shows were suspended, which received a fine of more than one million euros. The tightening of censorship coincides with the anniversary of the Cultural Revolution.
Beijing () – The official Chinese media and the army targeted a stand-up comedian for a show with ironic and burlesque features against the military, while the police have already opened an investigation into the matter. The production company of the show faces a fine of one million euros and has canceled all scheduled dates. A controversy that shows in all its magnitude how the Beijing authorities are intensifying censorship in the entertainment industry and how comedians themselves must be more careful in their stand-ups and artistic expressions.
The controversy erupted in full force last weekend when comedian Li Haoshi talked about two stray dogs he had adopted chasing squirrels, a scene that reminded him of the motto “have a good work style, be able to win battles.” “(作风优良，能打胜仗). In China, this phrase generally refers to the People’s Liberation Army, and was coined by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2013 to build a strong army that “listens to party mandates, is capable of winning battles, and has a good working style.” “.
Some netizens on social media claimed that Li’s speech insulted the military. The lively discussion that began on the networks was followed by the bombardment of the official media, including the intervention of the spokesman of the Communist Party, the People’s Daily. They were joined by the official state news agency Xinhua News Agency and other media linked to the army. Li apologized on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, saying that he was willing to take full responsibility for the matter and that he wanted to call off all performances that were still scheduled. He then published a note in which he regretted making a simile that was deemed inappropriate and said that he was willing to “suspend all performances, self-criticize and learn from the ground up.”
However, the apology was not enough to put an end to the matter and the army said it would not accept the apology. The Beijing Cultural Law Enforcement Agency announced the opening of an investigation against the Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture and Communication Company (上海笑果文化传媒有限公司), which had organized the performance. The company was fined 13.35 million yuan (or 1.76 million euros) and all shows were cancelled. Later, the directors announced that they had “suspended the activity indefinitely” and that they proposed to reinforce the education of their actors.
Meanwhile, the expensive prank has ruined Li’s career, and he will most likely end up in jail. The Beijing police opened a file, according to official media reports, although at the moment it is unknown what charges the comedian will face.
Typically, entertainment companies censor the content of shows before they are released to the public and hand over the scripts to the authorities. According to Chinese media, the controversial content was not included in the scripts that were submitted to the government for censorship.
In 2021, the National People’s Assembly passed a law prohibiting insults against military personnel. That same year, journalist Luo Changping was jailed for seven months for “insulting martyrs” because of a comment he made about soldiers who lost their lives in the Korean War in the early 1950s.
Some Internet commentators were convinced that Li’s comments and jokes were not intended to insult the military. On the other hand, the moment in which the controversy broke out coincides exactly with the anniversary of the “Circular of May 16, 1966”, which marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Looking ahead, it is very likely that the authorities will impose even stricter censorship on live performances, and especially improvisational stage shows, in order to weed out uncontrollable speeches and stifle satire and criticism.
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