People's Liberation Army 'insulted' by 'stupid joke'

A Chinese comedian has cancelled all his performances and promised to ‘re-educate himself’ for alluding to politics in a stand-up show.

Li Haosh’s routine attracted the attention of the Beijing Cultural Law Enforcement Agency, which has launched an investigation, and he has been banned from the Weibo social media site.

The regime-controlled China Daily reports that the offending gag came from a show at the Century Theatre in Beijing on Saturday, when he spoke about a dog he adopted chasing squirrels, commenting that the pet had a ‘excellent conduct, capable of winning battles.’

That phrase –  first uttered in 2013 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to describe the qualities he expected from the People’s Liberation Army – have become a motto of the military.

Li has since expressed his ‘deep remorse and regret’ in a social media post, saying that he had used ‘an extremely unsuitable analogy to bring bad feeling to the audience’.

He added: ‘I will take all the responsibility and call off all my performances to deeply reflect and reeducate myself.’

Authorities launched  an investigation into Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, which represented him but now says: ‘We have suspended his work indefinitely.’

The People’s Liberation Army has a ‘Theatre Command’ which posted on social media: ‘Shows like this make PLA soldiers very angry! The PLA soldiers have a very tolerant attitude toward diverse cultures, but we cannot stand for this stupid joke, which is provocative and insulting. We are angry.’

Another social media user quoted by China Daily, which is owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party,  said: ‘Comedians should follow moral standards when telling jokes. There are things that should never be joked about, and they should know that well.’

In 2021, China passed a law banning insults against military personnel.

Published: 16 May 2023