Chinese Comic Investigated After Singing a Riff of a Patriotic Song

Chinese Comic Investigated After Singing a Riff of a Patriotic Song - The New York Times

Skip to contentSkip to site index

U.S.

Log in

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Today’s Paper

* Home
* + U.S.
+ International
+ Canada
+ Español
+ 中文

U.S.

|

Chinese Comic Investigated After Singing a Riff of a Patriotic Song

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/us/guo-degang-china-comic-investigated.html

*
*
*
*

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Chinese Comic Investigated After Singing a Riff of a Patriotic Song

Guo Degang, one of the country’s best-known comedians, was reported to the authorities, as the arts continue to be a focus for ideological crackdowns.

Listen · 6:28 min

*
*
*
*

!A man with a shaved head, wearing a long striped shirt, speaking into a microphone.

*Guo Degang performing cross talk in Beijing in 2011. The comedy genre, also known as xiangsheng, mixes scripted and improvised sketches.

Credit...

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times*

By

Yan Zhuang

Aug. 19, 2026

Updated 9:05 a.m. ET

See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google

Ad-libbing during a routine is standard for many comedians. But in China, it can land performers in hot water. That was the case for one of the country’s most famous comics, Guo Degang, who is under official investigation for riffing on the lyrics of a famous patriotic song during a show.

Mr. Guo has drawn comparisons to the likes of Ricky Gervais, and has starred in movies and hosted TV shows in China. After a show in Wuhan in July, he was reported to city’s culture and tourism bureau for singing a modified version of the song, which hails the bravery of Chinese soldiers during a historic battle against Japan.

His case highlights the delicate line comedians must tread in a heavily censored creative landscape. The comedy scene provides a rare venue for indirect criticisms about contemporary life in China; but the space for self-expression is becoming increasingly narrow as China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has made arts and culture a focus for ideological crackdowns.

The bureau launched an investigation into Mr. Guo last week after receiving a complaint, according to The Paper, a popular Shanghai-based state-backed newspaper. The bureau said it was looking into whether he had violated a regulation under which performers must have their sets vetted by officials in advance, the outlet reported.

An official who answered the phone at the Hubei Culture and Tourism Bureau, in the province encompassing Wuhan, confirmed the investigation against Mr. Guo on Tuesday. He described the matter as sensitive, but did not provide more details. A show Mr. Guo was scheduled to perform in the city of Xi’an was postponed, according to a social media post by the theater that was going to host it. Organizers have not announced if it will be rescheduled.

Mr. Guo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Guo, 53, is credited with reviving cross talk, or xiangsheng, a comedy genre that mixes scripted and improvised sketches that originated in the Qing dynasty. In the 2010s, Chinese media lauded him for attracting younger audiences to a genre with an aging fan base.

Yan Zhuang

is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news.

*
*
*
*

Related Content

*
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Site Index

Site Information Navigation

* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
*
* California Notices