by India Today World DeskChina’s well-known comedy company Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Company has been fined 14.7 million yuan ($ 2.13 million) by the Chinese government. A fine was levied against the company for a military-related joke made by one of its comedians.
The Beijing branch of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism Bureau accused the company of “harming society”. In addition to the fine, the ministry said it would confiscate 1.35 million yuan in “illegal gains”. reuters said the report.
Li Haoshi’s contract was terminated after the company was fined. Xiaoguo Culture blamed “major lapses in management” for the incident. Hundreds of local comedians are said to have made careers working with the company, which was founded in Shanghai in 2015.
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Comedian Li Haoshi, who performs under the name House, recently made a controversial joke on a show. While the ministry believes that Haoshi violated the rules, public view on the matter is divided.
The joke was a clever jab at Chinese President Xi Jinping. Haoshi used the phrase “have a good demeanor, be able to fight and win battles,” during his stand-up. The news report further states that the phrase was used by Jinping in 2013 to praise the work ethic of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
However, what drew criticism from his stand-up was using the phrase as he adopted two stray dogs to chase a squirrel. He said it reminded him of the slogan. One of the onlookers shared the clip online, describing it as derogatory to China PLA members.
“We will never allow any company or individual to use Chinese capital as a platform to tarnish the glorious image of the PLA,” the cultural bureau said. In addition, Xiaoguo Culture will be barred from holding any future shows in Beijing.
This is not the first time the firm and its artists have courted controversy. In July 2021, the company was fined 200,000 yuan for publishing advertisements that featured a comedian endorsing a lingerie brand that women were accused of objectifying.