However, their motives are not the most important consideration for those in the music industry. Zero-Covid had turned the Chinese capital quiet for years The problem is that those making the decisions here are keen to be seen to be imposing the Party's will more enthusiastically than rival bureaucrats. That over-zealous officials would go after Beijing's non-credentialed saxophonists is seen as absurd by most locals. Foreigners who play in bands without specific live performance visas are getting into trouble.Įver since workers from overseas were allowed into China, as the country re-opened, some of them have played music on the side, say in jazz bands.Īpart from the obvious enjoyment in doing this, it has also been their way of giving something back to a city they've come to know and love. This has led to a crackdown on live music.īars and cafes without the correct permits to host live events are in the sights of inspectors. The comic in jail for jokes he didn't crackīut some officials have decided that this also means all performances deemed too potentially edgy, need to be reined in as well. The 'punchline queen' who offended Chinese men Word has clearly gone out that comedy performances should be controlled. He is expected to receive a prison sentence after police said they'd opened an official investigation into his routine which - in their words - had "caused a severe social impact".Ĭhina's most famous comedy company has had its shows suspended in Beijing and Shanghai, and there are fears that venues won't want to book stand-up shows in the future because of the risk it now entails. His contract had already been terminated after his employers, Xiaoguo Culture, were handed a massive fine. It was an expression which Chinese leader Xi Jinping has used to praise the People's Liberation Army.Īudio of the joke was published on social media and subsequently weaponised by ultra-nationalists who even targeted the audience for laughing at it. Live music returned to Beijing quickly in recent months as China reopenedĪudiences couldn't wait for some live sound again, the bands were up for performing and the bars were certainly eager to make money to pay the bills.Īll was looking up until Li Haoshi, a stand-up comedian, told a now notorious joke.ĭuring his live act, he described two dogs chasing a squirrel and said they should "adopt a good style of work" in order to "fight and win battles". But after the government suddenly abandoned its zero-Covid policy, the music came back quickly. Higher rents and gentrification were already posing great challenges before three years of tough Covid restrictions put some venues out of business. Every sneaker-staring, guitar-hugging kid with a broody set of love songs who wants to stand up and play, drifts into this city. He told me he could almost see the cogs turning in the official's brain: they… don't… want to sit down… why… what?īeijing has always been at the heart of this vibrant scene. The owner tried to explain that the customers preferred to make do without them. It's a world, for the most part, beyond the grasp of dullard officials.Ī venue owner once told me about a visit he'd had from a local government representative who looked around the area at the front of the stage and asked where the tables and chairs were. In a country where cultural events are closely monitored by the Communist Party, the underground music scene in the capital has remained energetic, real, cheeky and innovative. It's a hot evening and we'll all dry off quickly. What might appear violent and aggressive is actually a friendly, high-spirited celebration of music and collective enjoyment.Īfter years spent waiting to shake off China's Covid restrictions, there are smiles all round.Ī friend passes me a drink just as the human wave approaches and I get dragged in, spraying the contents of my cup over all those around me. The mosh pit expands and contracts with bodies crashing into one another. The BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell reports from Beijing. Music performances are now being targeted, hitting the country's live entertainment sector just as it recovers from years of Covid restrictions. Beijing has long enjoyed a vibrant music sceneĪ joke by a Chinese stand-up comedian seen to be ridiculing the military has prompted a crackdown on the country's booming comedy scene.
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