Chinese authorities are investigating prominent comedian Guo Degang after he improvised a changed line from a revolutionary song during a July performance in Wuhan, while several of his scheduled August shows have been canceled or postponed. The Associated Press reported the inquiry on Saturday, citing local media, social-media video and notices from organizers and ticketing platform Damai.
Guo is a leading performer of xiangsheng, a traditional form of comic dialogue also known as crosstalk, and is widely credited with bringing the art to younger Chinese audiences. Channel News Asia reported that the disputed performance took place on July 24 during a Peking opera adaptation about the folk figure Ji Gong in Wuhan, a major city in central China.
According to AP and local reports, Guo changed a lyric meaning that the night was quiet over Weishan Lake to one referring instead to the Forbidden City. The line comes from Playing My Beloved Pipa, featured in the 1950s film Railway Guerrilla about Communist-led fighters resisting Japanese forces during World War II. The popular song appeared at China Central Television's Spring Festival gala in 1998 and was included on a 2019 official list of 100 songs marking the People's Republic's 70th anniversary.
Local reports said a complaint reached Wuhan's culture and tourism authorities and the performance's approved script did not contain the altered wording. The Paper reported that the departure could breach rules governing commercial performances. AP said neither Guo nor his promoter immediately responded to requests for comment, and no publicly reported final finding or penalty had been announced.
Guo's Friday show in Xi'an was canceled because of what his promotion company described on Damai as venue issues. The promoter offered ticket refunds and reimbursement for travel and hotel costs, while the exhibition center called the event postponed without setting a new date. Local media also reported cancellations affecting other August dates, although organizers have not publicly established that every schedule change resulted from the Wuhan inquiry.
The case renews attention on the boundaries facing performers in China's tightly regulated entertainment sector. In 2023, authorities fined Xiaoguo Culture Media 14.7 million yuan, then about 2.13 million dollars, after comedian Li Haoshi used a military slogan in a joke about dogs chasing squirrels; Li has not returned to public performances in mainland China. Guo's inquiry remains open, leaving the status of future appearances and any possible regulatory action unresolved.
Comments