China's most famous comedian under investigation for joke

Now a joke about a patriot song has put one of China's biggest comedy stars under official investigation. A popular comedian, actor and television host is reportedly being investigated after performing a modified version of a well-known Chinese patriotic song during a show in Wuhan in July. The song celebrates Chinese guerrilla fighters who fought Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War fought from 1937 to 1945. The conflict remains central to China's official narrative of national struggle and sacrifice. Now in 2019, the song was included in a list of 100 songs selected by the Communist Party Central Committee to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. According to Chinese media reports and videos posted online, he changed part of the song's lyrics and added jokes, including lines in which he appeared to pray to Buddha. Wuhan officials reportedly said Guo had secured approval for his performance but had not disclosed that he would alter the lyrics. The city's Culture and Tourism Bureau launched an investigation after receiving a complaint. Officials are reportedly examining whether Guo violated rules requiring performers to submit their material for approval before taking the stage. In the 2010s, Chinese media reportedly praised him for attracting younger audiences to the genre. Comedy has reportedly also provided a rare space for indirect criticism of contemporary life in China, but that space is narrowing as authorities tighten controls over artistic expression. Now under President Xi Jinping, officials have reportedly pushed artists to align their work with Communist Party priorities and have tightened scrutiny of material seen as challenging official political or historical narratives. In 2021, China made insulting or defaming national heroes and martyrs a criminal offense, and Guo is not alone. Right. In 2023, a Chinese comedy company was fined about two million dollars after a comedian compared two stray dogs chasing a squirrel to the Chinese military.