The Chinese well-known comedy firm, Xiaoguo Culture Media Co., issued an apology on Monday, apologizing to the public for the controversy caused by its stand-up comedian HOUSE (also known as Li Haoshi)'s inappropriate metaphor during an offline performance. Photo: Sina Weibo

A stand-up comedian from Xiaoguo Culture Media Co has been banned from his Weibo account after making inappropriate remarks during a performance, according to media reports on Tuesday, amid growing controversy over his offensive jokes which insulted Chinese soldiers.

The People's Daily issued a brief commentary on Monday, saying that talk shows must have minimum standards and should not cross the red line simply for the sake of performance, which should become the bottomline of the entire profession, and it should also become the consensus of the industry.

The official WeChat account of the Western Theater Command posted an article, saying that they felt provocation, insult and anger after hearing such shameless remarks. The inappropriate and bottomless allegory using special words not only deeply hurt Chinese soldiers, but also seriously hurt the feelings of the people across the country.

The Beijing Cultural Law Enforcement Bridage said that it had learned of the inappropriate remarks insulting Chinese soldiers through an internet patrol or cyber surveillance on Monday morning and had registered an investigation against Xiaoguo Culture Media Co.

Xiaoguo Culture Media Co issued a letter on Monday, apologizing to the public for the controversy caused by the inappropriate metaphor by its stand-up comedian HOUSE, whose real name Li Haoshi, during an offline performance.

"After the performance that day, we promptly criticized HOUSE and required him to reflect on his actions. We have also suspended all of his subsequent performances indefinitely," the company said in the statement.

The actor named HOUSE also later posted an apology letter on his social media, expressing his deep guilt and regret for the mistakes he made, and will take responsibility for it, stop all performing arts activities, and deeply reflect on himself.

One of the audience who attended the comedy show in Beijing on Saturday wrote a post on social media stating that a comedian used derogatory remarks addressing Chinese soldiers during the performance, which made them feel uncomfortable. This incident has sparked widespread attention and discussion across Chinese social media platforms.

During the performance, the comedian said that he had adopted two stray dogs and saw them chasing squirrels when he first met them. This reminded him of the phrase, "Fight to win! Forge exemplary conduct!" several members of the audience recounted.

The phrase "Fight to win! Forge exemplary conduct!" has long been used to describe Chinese soldiers and is to praise their excellent conduct. However, using this phrase to describe stray dogs has been regarded by many netizens as an insult to Chinese soldiers, which has caused great dissatisfaction and outrage.

This is not the first time that HOUSE and his company Xiaoguo have sparked controversy. In a previous comedy show, HOUSE directly announced the code for a stock, causing the stock of a previously unknown company to skyrocket. Although he later claimed that he and his family did not hold the stock, many netizens still questioned why he raised the subject during his performance.

"Although it's said that stand-up comedy is a satirical art, there should be limits. For actors who repeatedly violate the rules, they should be punished accordingly," said one netizen on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.

"We shall proactively shoulder more social responsibilities, strengthen the training and education of our actors, and maintain industry order," said Xiaoguo Culture Media Co in its statement, adding that they are grateful for the public's attention and supervision.

Global Times