Why are concerts, comedy shows and cultural events being cancelled in China?
Xi Jinping
Nearly two years ago, the Xi Jinping government in China started a purge operation against the tech sector of the country. Big names and companies such as Jack Ma, Alibaba and Tencent felt the heat before falling in line and accepting CCP's mandate. Fast forward now and it's the turn of the entertainment industry to be at the receiving end of Xi's wrath.
There is an unusual spate of sudden cancellations orshutdowns of movie shows, festivals and other events happening in China, according to a Bloomberg report. The genesis of the situation, according to experts, lies in the recent controversy where a Chinese stand-up comedian and his joke brought the company that represented him into the firing line.
Xiaoguo fined $2 million
Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, during his comedy set in Century Theater in Beijingused a phrase associated with thePeople’s Liberation Army (PLA). His statement immediately went viral and attracted the attention of authorities. As the backlash grew,Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, the company representing Li was forced to issue an apology to calm the situation.
However, the Chinese authorities did not take lightly to the alleged offence and theBeijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism fined a subsidiary of the firm, nearly $2 million. Additionally,$189,000 made by the company through two live shows done by Li were deemed“illegal gains” and the payment was frozen.
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Later, Beijing police filed a case and opened an investigation into Li's performance saying it had“seriously insulted” the military and caused “bad social impact.”
Xi's authoritarian empire
Since then, there has been a crackdown across the Chinese entertainment sector. According to the publication, organisers of the scrapped events are issuing apologies while remaining blank ondetails or providing brief variations of "unforeseen circumstances". In some cases, they are citing“force majeure,” a legal term to waive liability in the event of circumstances outside a supplier’s control.
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Kissaquo, a Japanese chorus group, influenced by Buddhism cancelled its recent show in the southern city of Guangzhou. A statement released on the band's official Weibo (China's Twitter alternative) account said the cancellation was ordered by the administration out of force majeure.
“What the Folkstival” - an outdoor concert that was to kick off last Saturday in the capital city of Beijing was canned at the eleventh hour, just as when concert-goers and performers had arrived at the stalls. The police reached the stage and announced the event was being postponed because of unforeseen reasons.
China is a highly authoritarian state where anything said against the military orPresident Xi is regarded as crossing the red line.
(With inputs from agencies)
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