A military joke made by a comedian resulted in a 14.7 million yuan ($2.13 million) penalty against a famous comedy company in China. The joke made on China's military drew strong public criticism.
Beijing arm of China’s ministry of culture and tourism bureau said it would fine Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co. 13.35 million yuan and confiscate 1.35 million yuan in “illegal gains” from the company over a recent show by Li Haoshi.
Li Haoshi went viral on Chinese social media earlier this week after an audience member posted a description of the joke online. Li had made the joke at a live stand-up set in Beijing describing it as demeaning to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
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Li recounted seeing two stray dogs he had adopted chase a squirrel and said it had reminded him of the phrase “have a good work style, be able to fight and win battles.” The slogan has been used by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to praise the PLA’s work ethic.
“We will never allow any company or individual use the Chinese capital as a stage to wantonly slander the glorious image of the PLA,” the cultural bureau said. Xiaoguo Culture would be barred from staging any future shows in Beijing, it added.
{{/usCountry}}“We will never allow any company or individual use the Chinese capital as a stage to wantonly slander the glorious image of the PLA,” the cultural bureau said. Xiaoguo Culture would be barred from staging any future shows in Beijing, it added.
{{/usCountry}}Xiaoguo Culture blamed the incident on “major loopholes in management” and said it had terminated the comedian's contract. The company was founded in Shanghai in 2015 and their artists have faced action before as well. In July 2021, the company was fined 200,000 yuan for publishing advertisements that featured a comedian endorsing a lingerie brand.