One of China’s best-known comedians is under investigation and several of his shows have been canceled after he changed the lyrics of a revolutionary song during a performance.
Guo Degang, the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue, is under investigation by local authorities in the city of Wuhan in central China, local media reported.
Guo’s show on Friday in the northwestern city of Xi’an was canceled due to “venue issues,” a statement on ticketing platform Damai released by his promotion company showed.
It was once played at CCTV Spring Festival gala in 1998, and was also selected in 2019 by the Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department as one of 100 songs recommended to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The company offered refunds for tickets as well as travel and hotel expenses. Pipa is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, similar to a lute. It is a popular song among the public.
The exhibition center hosting the performance in Xi’an, which also cited “venue issues” on Wednesday, said the show had been “postponed,” without giving a new date. Local media reports said several of Guo’s shows scheduled in August across cities were canceled. Guo was reported to Wuhan’s culture and tourism authorities after he changed a lyric from “it is quiet along Weishan Lake” to “it is quiet in the Forbidden City” while performing at a show in the city last month, according to local media reports and videos shown on social media platforms. The lyrics are from “Playing My Beloved Pipa,” a song from Railway Guerrilla, a well-known 1950s film about Communist-led guerrillas fighting Japanese forces during World War II.
Neither Guo nor his show promotor immediately responded to the ’s emails seeking for comment on Saturday.
