Chinese comedian joke about his army slogan China cost the production company more than $2 million due to a huge fine imposed by the authorities.

“Dear Punishment Highlights a fine line where comedians must balance against China’s heavy-handed censorship, where politics are rarely laughed at,” CNN commented.

Comedian Li Haoxi, known by his stage name House, came to the attention of the authorities last week after he used a phrase associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during his speech at the Theater of the Century in Beijing.

As the backlash from the authorities intensified, Li canceled all of his performances and his production company, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology.

On Wednesday, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced that the company’s subsidiary would be fined $1.91 million and forfeit $189,000 in revenue, which authorities called “illegal profits.” Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media’s performances in the capital have been suspended indefinitely.

In a statement, authorities accuse Lee of “serious insult” to the military, “causing a negative social impact.” The bureau added that Li and his agent will be placed under the microscope for further investigation.

In 2021, China passed a law banning the expression of any opinion that could be considered offensive or defamatory of the country’s armed forces.

What Lee said

During the show, he acted out a skit about adopting two stray dogs when he moved to Shanghai. He said that once his dogs were hunting for a squirrel and it reminded him of seven words. “A strange course of action capable of winning battles,” he commented, punning on the well-known Communist Party slogan about the Chinese military.

The original line on which the comedian’s joke is based was first uttered by Chinese President Xi Jinping himself, who is also the head of the military.

Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media is responsible for organizing some of the biggest stand-up shows in China. At the time of sentencing, Beijing’s cultural institutions interpreted: “We will never allow any company or individual to tarnish the glorious image of the People’s Liberation Army on the stage of the capital.We will not allow the deepest feelings of the people towards the soldiers to be hurt or serious business to be turned into entertainment.”

“Low Art”

Li has already apologized on the Chinese social network Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers. “I will take full responsibility and cancel all my appearances to reflect deeply and re-educate,” he wrote on Monday.

Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media previously announced that it was pulling the comedian from all of its productions indefinitely.

China imposes strict censorship on topics it considers sensitive, from women’s cleavage to criticism of the Communist Party. This ideological control was tightened under Xi’s rule, and the entertainment industry was widely affected.

Source: CNN