And a joke that might land well in a venue of comedy-lovers might not play as well on social media, or in the eyes of the government.Cats are domesticated animals that are popular around the world. Still, he noted, the process “is subjective”.
But comedians operate on an understanding that there are certain no-go topics, such as anything that criticises – or pokes fun at – the government.Īdam Hopkins, a British standup who has previously performed in China, said that in recent years gigs at bigger venues have required comics to submit full transcripts of their sets before a performance, to check for any problematic content. Standup comedy has become increasingly popular in Chinese cities in recent years, with comedy clubs opening up across the country. Some commenters have been more supportive, or defended the standup industry in general. On Weibo, a hashtag related to the incident was viewed more than 2bn times. Discussing the controversy on WeChat, a messaging and social media platform, one commenter wrote: “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is sacred and inviolable! The clown will be severely punished!” The platform is awash with vlogs criticising Li and insisting that some topics should not be joked about. Some nationalists among Chinese internet users agreed. On Wednesday, police in Beijing said that they had opened an investigation into Li.
The authorities also said that the show should have been stopped as soon as the offending joke was made. “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 bureau said. His account has since been suspended.Ĭhina’s ministry of culture and tourism bureau said on Wednesday that the company must pay a fine of 13.35m yuan, and also forfeit 1.35m yuan in “illegal gains” for the joke. Li posted an apology to his 136,000 Weibo followers saying that he felt “deeply guilty and regretful” about the joke. Two days later, Li was suspended from the Xiaoguo Culture Media firm in Shanghai, which said that the joke was inappropriate. But a member of the audience reportedly made a complaint, and as the joke spread on to the less humorous world of the Chinese internet, Li was criticised for what many interpreted as a disrespectful comment about China’s military. In an audio recording that was shared online, the audience can be heard breaking into loud laughs.
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