Company fined 13m yuan after comedian's inappropriate joke

Stand-up comedian Li Haoshi, who goes by the stage name House, was found to have insulted Chinese military in two performances in Beijing on May 13, during which he wantonly tampered with the script, the capital city's cultural and tourism bureau said on Wednesday.

Comedy company Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, which organized the show and employed Li, was fined 13.35 million yuan (US$1.9 million) and had 1.33 million yuan of illegal gains confiscated by the cultural authorities.

Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media would be banned from staging performances in Beijing for an indefinite period of time.

The Beijing cultural and tourism bureau said in a statement: "We will not allow any company or individual to slander the glorious image of the People's Liberation Army. We will not allow any harm to the deep feelings of the people for the soldiers."

Li used a military comparison in a joke about two dogs chasing a squirrel in his routine.

Xiaoguo said that it accepted all criticism and punishment, would deeply reflect on its errors and would not run away from its responsibilities, in a statement after the fines were handed out.

The company also announced the immediate termination of its contract with Li. It also vowed to tighten up internal management and strengthen staff training.