笑果脱口秀剧场，上海。摄于周三。 CFOTO/Future Publishing, via Getty Images
Beijing fined a Chinese comedy studio around $2 million on Wednesday for a joke that compared China’s military to stray dogs, a reminder of the ever-narrowing confines of expression under the country’s leader, Xi Jinping.
周三，北京对一家中国喜剧工作室处以1335万人民币的罚款，因为它在一个段子中将中国军队和流浪狗相提并论，这提醒人们，言论表达的范围在国家领导人习近平的领导下不断缩小。
The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau accused a popular comedian, Li Haoshi, who is employed by the studio, of “severely insulting” the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, during two live performances in Beijing on Saturday. The authority said his joke had a “vile societal impact.”
北京市文化和旅游局指责该工作室雇用的当红喜剧演员李昊石周六在北京的两场现场表演中“严重侮辱”中国人民解放军。当局称他的笑话造成了“恶劣社会影响”。
“We will not allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People’s Liberation Army,” the statement read.
“我们绝不允许任何公司和个人在首都舞台肆意诋毁人民军队的光辉形象，”声明写道。
The authority also said it indefinitely suspended all Beijing performances hosted by the studio, Shanghai-based Xiaoguo Culture Media. The bureau also confiscated roughly $180,000 worth of what officials described as illicit income uncovered during the investigation, which was launched on Monday. Officials in Shanghai followed suit, suspending all Xiaoguo performances there and ordering the company to “deeply reflect” on the lessons from the incident, according to a government social media account.
当局还表示已无限期暂停笑果文化传媒公司在北京主办的所有演出，该公司总部位于上海。北京文旅局还没收了当局在开始的调查中所称的“违法所得”132.5万元人民币。据政府社交媒体帐号称，上海的官员也紧随其后，暂停了笑果在那里的所有演出，并责令该公司“深刻反思”事件的教训。
The investigation was launched after a recording of Mr. Li’s joke was posted on social media. In it, Mr. Li was describing a scene in which his two adopted stray dogs were chasing a squirrel. The ferocity of the dogs’ pursuit, he said, reminded him of a well-known Chinese military slogan about virtue and grit: “Maintain exemplary conduct, fight to win.”
调查是在李昊石的脱口秀视频被人发到社交媒体上后启动的。视频中，李昊石讲述他收养的两只流浪狗追逐一只松鼠的场景。他说，狗的凶猛追击让他想起了中国军队一句关于品德和毅力的著名口号：“作风优良，能打胜仗。”
Mr. Xi had used the slogan in a political meeting with a military delegation in 2013, shortly after coming to power, and the phrase has since been popularized.
2013年上台后不久，习近平在人大会出席解放军代表团会议时使用了这个口号，此后该口号广为人知。
The joke spread widely on Chinese social media, after critics, especially nationalist commentators, argued that the comedian had poked fun at what had been a serious speech delivered by Mr. Xi. Others said that Mr. Li’s words had been taken out of context.
在批评人士——尤其是民族主义评论员——认为这位喜剧演员是在拿习近平发表的严肃讲话开玩笑后，该笑话在中国社交媒体上广泛传播。也有人说，李昊石的话被断章取意了。
The stiff penalty dealt a heavy blow to China’s nascent standup comedy scene, highlighting the high-wire act comedians walk in China, where the boundaries of speech are constantly tightening. Officials in China often expect films and artwork to deliver a positive moral impact on society, a view that dates back to the era of Mao Zedong and the role of art as an instrument of politics. The Beijing authority, in announcing the punishment against Xiaoguo, urged artists and writers to have “correct creative thinking” and “provide healthy spiritual nourishment for the people.”
严厉的处罚对中国新生的脱口秀行业是一次沉重打击，突显了喜剧演员在中国表演犹如走钢丝，那里的言论边界在不断收紧。中国官员往往期望电影和艺术品能够对社会产生积极的道德影响，这种观点可以追溯到毛泽东时代，艺术被当作政治工具。北京当局在宣布对笑果的处罚时，敦促艺术家和作家要“端正创作思想”，“为人民群众提供有营养的精神食粮”。
In recent years, Mr. Xi has stepped up controls on speech that challenges the party’s narratives around politics and Chinese history.
近年来，习近平加强力度控制在政治和中国历史方面挑战共产党叙述的言论。
北京的中国人民革命军事博物馆以习近平形象为中心的艺术展。 Florence Lo/Reuters
Last year, Luo Changping, a businessman and former investigative journalist in China, was sentenced to prison for seven months after he questioned China’s role in the Korean War. Mr. Luo was charged under a new criminal code that makes the defamation of political martyrs a crime.
去年，商人、前中国调查记者罗昌平因质疑中国在朝鲜战争中的作用而被判入狱七个月。依据新刑法，罗昌平被起诉，该法将诽谤政治烈士定为犯罪。
Recently, in addition to traditional Chinese forms of comedy, the Western variety of standup has grown more popular in metropolitan cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. The art form reached mainstream prominence due, in part, to the success of Rock and Roast, a standup competition that drew millions of fans during the pandemic, when lockdowns confined many Chinese to their home. The show, run by Xiaoguo, turned Mr. Li, who goes by the stage name “House,” into a star.
最近，除了中国传统的喜剧形式外，西方脱口秀在上海和北京等大都市也越来越受欢迎。这种艺术形式之所以成为主流，部分源于《脱口秀大会》的成功，这是一个单口喜剧比赛，在大流行期间吸引了数百万粉丝，当时许多中国人因疫情封锁被限制在家中。这个由笑果运营的节目让艺名“House”的李昊石成为了明星。
“There’s an inherent tension between standup comedy as a genre and the heavily censored cultural domain in China,” said Sheng Zou, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Baptist University who specializes in popular culture in China.
“作为一种流派，脱口秀与中国受到严格审查的文化领域之间必然存在紧张关系，”专门研究中国流行文化的香港浸会大学助理教授邹胜说。
Comedy thrives in places where comedians can satirize or comment on political or ideological tropes. But in China, Mr. Zou said, “you have a very limited set of options for what kinds of material you can draw on.”
在喜剧演员可以讽刺、评论政治或意识形态比喻的地方，喜剧才会蓬勃发展。但在中国，邹胜说，“对于可以取材的材料种类，你的选择非常有限。”
Mr. Li was suspended indefinitely by Xiaoguo immediately following the performance, according to a statement by the comedy company on Monday. In an earlier Weibo post, the comedian said he was “deeply ashamed and regretful,” calling his comparison “very inappropriate.”
根据笑果周一的一份声明，表演结束后，李昊石立即被该喜剧公司无限期停职。在早些时候的微博帖子中，这位喜剧演员表示他“深感羞愧与后悔”，称他的比喻“非常不恰当”。
Mr. Li and Xiaoguo could not immediately be reached for comment.
无法立即联系到李昊石和笑果置评。
On Chinese social media, reactions to the fine varied, with some commenters saying that it was too severe. One widely shared comment pointed out that a company that had provided fake P.C.R. test results was fined no more than $11,000.
在中国社交媒体上，对罚款的反应各不相同，一些评论者说罚款太重了。一条广为流传的评论指出，一家核酸造假的公司被罚款7.35万元。
But a strong chorus of support for punishing Mr. Li made it clear that his words had affronted a far broader cohort than Chinese officialdom.
但许多人对惩罚李昊石的强烈支持表明，他的言论激怒了比中国官员更广泛的群体。
“What’s worthy of our attention in this incident is that it not only angered censors but also upset a lot of patriotic people,” Mr. Zou said. “Cases like this fine are where the general public and state-sponsored strands of nationalism meet.”
“这起事件值得我们关注的是，它不仅激怒了审查者，也激怒了很多爱国人士，”邹胜说。“像这样的罚款案件是普通公众和国家支持的民族主义势力汇合的地方。”
Chang Che是时报亚洲科技记者。他曾为“中国项目”工作，并作为自由撰稿人报道中国的技术和社会。欢迎在Twitter上关注他：@changxche。
Olivia Wang报道中国大陆和香港的新闻。她于2022年加入时报。她拥有香港大学新闻学硕士学位和社会科学学士学位。欢迎在Twitter上关注她：@OliviaReportsHK。
翻译：纽约时报中文网
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纳闻|真实新闻与历史–「中英」脱口秀演出被指“侮辱”解放军，笑果遭中国当局重罚