At a show in Beijing a week ago, Chinese comedian Li Haoshi said he adopted two stray dogs who like to hunt squirrels. “Usually when we see dogs, we find them funny and our heart melts. But here only one thing comes to mind: “Good discipline, able to win battles””, said the performer known as House. Result: the company that hired him was fined 1.7 million euros, the comedian apologized but was reportedly arrested, as was another person who defended him on social media.
The phrase in question may mean nothing to a Western audience, but the Chinese public recognizes part of the slogan of the People’s Liberation Army. It was coined in 2013 by President Xi Jinping himself and then presented as a target for the Chinese military. The audio of the joke (and the audience laughed), illegally recorded because it was forbidden to do so, was shared on social networks and went viral in the meantime.
Police opened an investigation, claiming the show had caused “a serious social impact”. In 2018, China passed a law banning defamation of “heroes and martyrs” and punishing those who spread information that “distorts or ignores” their performance. The Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism recalled that the shows “must not hurt national feelings” or “harm national honor and interests”. And he reiterated that he would not allow “the glorious image of the military to be unnecessarily belittled”.
The company that hired Li Haoshi, Xiaosheng Co. (a subsidiary of Xiaoguo Media Cultural) was fined 13.35 million yuan (1.76 million euros). And it saw all its scheduled shows for Beijing suspended and threatened with more action. According to china dailyan English-language newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, Xiaoguo not only terminated Li Haoshi’s contract, but also took disciplinary action against his management team, suspending all shows in China until further notice.
According to the BBC, the comedian was himself arrested despite apologizing and saying he was “deeply ashamed and sorry”. Your social media has been suspended. According to the BBC, the amount of the fine the company is subject to is so high that it is speculated that these humor shows could disappear from China’s stages just like that, for fear of other similar penalties in the future.
In addition, a 34-year-old woman who had defended Li Haoshi on social media was also arrested. “Why should he be silenced? Brother soldiers are not all dogs,” he wrote.
Source: DN
