No joke: China fines a comedy firm $2 million for ‘insulting’ the military

A youth watches a giant screen showing President Xi Jinping of China, at the Military Museum in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2022. Beijing fined a Chinese comedy studio around $2 million on May 17, 2023 for a joke that compared China's military to stray dogs, a reminder of the ever-narrowing confines of expression under Xi Jinping. [Gilles Sabrié/The New York Times]

Beijing fined a Chinese comedy studio around $2 million Wednesday for a joke that compared China's military to stray dogs, a reminder of the ever-narrowing confines of expression under the country's leader, Xi Jinping.

The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau accused a popular comedian, Li Haoshi, who is employed by the studio, of "severely insulting" the People's Liberation Army, China's military, during two live performances in Beijing on Saturday. The authority said his joke had a "vile societal impact."

"We will not allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People's Liberation Army," the statement read.

The authority also said it indefinitely suspended all Beijing performances hosted by the studio, Shanghai-based Xiaoguo Culture Media. The bureau also confiscated roughly $180,000 worth of what officials described...

Continue reading on: