The photo taken on June 10, 2023 shows the logo of Xiaoguo Culture Media Co in Beijing. Photo: VCG

A major Chinese cultural company and organizer of comedy shows has refuted claims that its subsidiary was fined for organizing performances without permission. This denial comes after the parent company was ordered to suspend all offline performances across the country since May 17, 2023, following an incident where one of its comedians made insulting remarks regarding Chinese soldiers during a stand-up comedy show in Beijing last month.

The official website of Beijing cultural market comprehensive law enforcement corps shows that Shanghai Xiaoxing Culture Media Co (Xiaoxing Co) was fined 70,000 yuan ($9,785) on June 1 for engaging in commercial performance activities without authorization by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

According to media reports, Xiaoxing Co is a subordinate company of Xiaoguo Culture Media Co (Xiaoguo Co), whose comedian Li Haoshi, who often goes by his stage name House, made inappropriate linking of stray dogs with the motto of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during two public stand-up comedy shows in Beijing on May 13, 2023.

A staff member from Xiaoguo said its subordinate company did not violate the ban but was fined for the same incident on May 13 as a different corporate entity, according to chinanews.com.

"After receiving the punishment from the Beijing cultural market comprehensive law enforcement corps, we resolutely obeyed and implemented all penalties. All offline performances are currently under comprehensive rectification, with no performances being conducted in any form at present. We won't resume any shows without the permission of the management department," chinanews.com reported citing a staff member from the company.

After Li and his company Shanghai Xiaosheng Culture Media Co (Xiaosheng Co), another subordinate company of Xiaoguo Co, tampered with the content of the show during the performance declaration procedures, and made a serious insult to the PLA, which had a negative social impact, Xiaoguo Co was given administrative penalties including a warning, confiscation of illegal income of 1.32 million yuan ($184,910) and a fine of 13.35 million yuan.

Authorities in Beijing and Shanghai have decided to suspend indefinitely all performances of the companies involved in Beijing and Shanghai.

On May 17, public security authorities in Chaoyang district of Beijing said they had filed a case to investigate the stand-up comedian.

Global Times