A joke about his adopted dogs was made by Chinese stand-up comedian Li Haoshi, also known by his stage name House, in the middle of May.
He claimed from a stage in a crowded Beijing venue that his dogs "fought to win, forged exemplary conduct"—a phrase that Chinese leader Xi Jinping frequently uses to describe the military.
While the audience laughed, one of them later wrote on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, that he felt uncomfortable because it was offensive to the "people's army.". It was swiftly denounced by state media and officials as a "serious insult" to the Chinese army. One of the most popular stand-up comedy groups in China, Xiaoguo, which Li worked for, was fined nearly 15 million yuan ($2 point 1 million; £1 point 7 million) and placed under house arrest.
China's developing but vibrant stand-up comedy scene has suffered greatly as a result of the fallout. Stand-up comedy has flourished, allowing young people to take a lighthearted view of their joys and frustrations, even as other public spaces for expression have shrunk under Mr. Xi's increasingly censorious regime. Is that sliver of freedom currently in jeopardy?
To learn how Li's detention was impacting his industry, the BBC spoke with 13 comics and two managers. Nevertheless, nobody wished to be interviewed.
Stand-up comedy is a relatively recent import from the West that has grown in popularity among young Chinese in recent years. Open mic nights have proliferated in cities all over the nation, attracting audiences and aspiring comics; the cheapest tickets cost less than five yuan ($0.7; £0.5). A report by the China Association of Performing Arts estimates that there were roughly 18,500 live performances in 2021, earning close to 400 million yuan. As strict lockdowns were imposed throughout China in 2022, the number of shows only increased. .
"Stand-up comedy is comparable to anesthesia. It cannot be replaced, claims Shanghai-based interior designer Iris, 30. As a devoted follower, she claims that it provided her with much-needed solace and a sense of community during Shanghai's torturous 65-day lockdown last year. The city gained international attention for its onerous and onerous restrictions that led to a food shortage and stoked the public's ire.
"During the lockdown, everyone wanted to express their emotions. But everyone also knew they couldn't talk about it," she says. "It would have made excellent material.
Nevertheless, jokes were told. She recalls a subliminal one regarding receiving vegetable "blind boxes". The term "blind boxes" refers to collectible toys that come in mysterious packaging, which has recently become popular in China. However, it was also a jab at how residents of Shanghai could only eat vegetables delivered by the neighborhood because they were not permitted to leave their homes, not even to go grocery shopping. .
But even before Li's detention, the industry's success made it necessary to endure multiple levels of censorship.
In a now-deleted Weibo post, a comedy scriptwriter claimed that a company had contacted her the previous year and sent her a long list of taboo subjects. It covered senior Party figures, government representatives, extramarital relationships, homosexuality, gambling, homelessness, and the pandemic. The scripts were then submitted to the appropriate departments, but the officials wouldn't say much or even make clear suggestions. There were a number of meetings to discuss the potential impact of the jokes, including how sensitive it was and who it might offend.
"The industry needs to put 80% of its effort into producing content, and then use 50% as much time and effort to deal with censorship. Both resources and youth are being wasted greatly, the comic stated.
This hasn't prevented comics from "playing edge ball," a Chinese expression for delicate topics that avoid censorship. They were able to make fun of China's many problems, including gender inequality, youth unemployment, and the contentious Covid measures, and they managed to survive. The jokes sparked discussions and frequently turned into popular Weibo topics.
Yang Li, a female comic, accidentally coined the expression "ordinary but confident men" when she said about a man's confidence in an episode from 2020, "He looks so ordinary but how can he be so confident?".
It was simple to attack established tropes like the social pressure to get married. "Some of the people in the area are particularly annoying. They encourage others to get married after getting married. A mysterious institution, marriage. Yan Yi Yan Yue, a comedian with twin sisters, made fun of the fact that once you are in, you have to recruit new members, much like a pyramid scheme.
However, some subjects continued to be taboo. During his February US tour, Chi Zi criticized Mr. Xi's infamous zero-Covid policy and the Party's censorship. His social media accounts were swiftly deleted.
Chinese comedians are circumspect out of fear of retaliation, but some claim that this caution also dulls their humor.
They discuss unimportant topics. The government or the party cannot be questioned on any matters, claims *Lan D, a 25-year-old Chinese technician working in Ireland.
For the first time in three years since the pandemic began, she visited her home earlier this year, and she wanted to see a live performance by Xiaoguo in Shanghai. They were like my political "snacks," she said, disappointed that they had all been canceled. It is impossible for me to stop. " .
Will her favorite performances survive the current storm, though? "There will be a chilling effect," predicts Dr. Sheng Zou, a media and popular culture expert at Hong Kong Baptist University. "Self-censorship within the industry will undoubtedly increase as a result. " .
Iris and other young Chinese people lack optimism. She occasionally worries about the future of Chinese stand-up comedy.
But she is hoping to be proven wrong. She adds that compromises are necessary for the industry to survive and declares, "I want to hear Chinese people roast China.
"House [Li] should have been making fun of the People's Liberation Army for three hours. It was only those words, though. " .
In retrospect, she thinks Li's joke was not worth the trouble it brought on, not just for him but for the entire industry. She claims that before he made his joke, she was unaware of the military catchphrase it alludes to, and she didn't learn it was political in nature until a friend who is a Communist Party member informed her of it.
Stand-up comedy is comparable to dancing while restrained. However, as long as they have the slightest chance to speak, they are willing to do so. And that is heartwarming. " .
*Names have been altered to protect the subjects' privacy.
Zhijie Shao from BBC Chinese contributed more reporting.