Regime gets tough over jokey reference to People’s Liberation Army

The company behind the live show in which a Chinese comedian referred to a military slogan has been fined more than £1.6 million for the supposed insult.

Promoters were also indefinitely suspended from holding any performances in Beijing, regime mouthpiece ChinaDaily has reported.

Meanwhile, police are said to have opened an investigation into the comic, Li Haosh.

As Chortle reported earlier in the week, he was forced to cancel all his performances and promise to ‘re-educate himself’ for alluding to politics. He was also banned from the Weibo social media site.

The offending gag came from a talk show held at the Century Theatre in Beijing on Saturday. Li – who performs under the stage name House – spoke about a dog he had adopted chasing squirrels, commenting that the pet had a ‘excellent conduct, capable of winning battles.’

That phrase –  first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to describe the qualities he expected from the People’s Liberation Army – has become a motto of the military.

The authorities said that his quip was ‘a plot amounting to a serious insult to the People’s Liberation Army and causing a bad social influence’, adding: ‘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 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.’

Meanwhile, a woman was detained in northeast China for expressing support for Li on Weibo. The woman, identified by her last name Shim reportedly posted: ‘Why does House have to be banned? Aren’t all brother soldiers, brother dogs?’ – using an emoji for the last word.

Police in the city of Dalian said: ‘No blasphemy will be allowed for the dignity of military personnel.’

After attracting the attention of authorities, Li expressed his ‘deep remorse and regret’, saying that he had used ‘an extremely unsuitable analogy to bring bad feeling to the audience’.

He added: ‘I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and reeducate myself.’

The organisers of the gig, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, one of the biggest stand-up promoters in China, said: ‘We have suspended his work indefinitely.’

The People’s Liberation Army has a ‘Theatre Command’ which posted on social media: ‘Shows like this make PLA soldiers very angry! The PLA soldiers have a very tolerant attitude toward diverse cultures, but we cannot stand for this stupid joke, which is provocative and insulting. We are angry.’

Another social media user quoted by China Daily, which is owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party,  said: ‘Comedians should follow moral standards when telling jokes. There are things that should never be joked about, and they should know that well.’

In 2021, China passed a law banning insults against military personnel.

Published: 18 May 2023