By Online Desk
A joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian, Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, caught the attention of authorities this week after he used a phrase associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during his comedy show at the Century Theater in Beijing over the weekend.
The loosely referenced slogan used to describe the country’s military has cost an entertainment firm more than $2 million after it was slapped with enormous fines by authorities, reported CNN.
During the show, he began a skit about how he had adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai. He went on to say that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight words, “Fine style of work, capable of winning battles.”
The phrase was first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who also chairs the military, when he set out a list of qualities he commanded from the nation’s army. It has since been repeated at various official occasions and in state media.
As the official backlash grew, Li cancelled all his performances while the entertainment company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media — one of the biggest stand-up comedy show producers in the country — issued an apology.
The entertainment company said it had suspended the comedian from all productions indefinitely.
Li had already apologized on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers. “I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and reeducate myself,” he wrote on Monday.
A joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian, Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, caught the attention of authorities this week after he used a phrase associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during his comedy show at the Century Theater in Beijing over the weekend.
The loosely referenced slogan used to describe the country’s military has cost an entertainment firm more than $2 million after it was slapped with enormous fines by authorities, reported CNN.
During the show, he began a skit about how he had adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai. He went on to say that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight words, “Fine style of work, capable of winning battles.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The phrase was first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who also chairs the military, when he set out a list of qualities he commanded from the nation’s army. It has since been repeated at various official occasions and in state media.
As the official backlash grew, Li cancelled all his performances while the entertainment company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media — one of the biggest stand-up comedy show producers in the country — issued an apology.
The entertainment company said it had suspended the comedian from all productions indefinitely.
Li had already apologized on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers. “I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and reeducate myself,” he wrote on Monday.
