Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Crossing a ‘Red’ Line? Chinese Comedy Star Investigated Over Altered Song Lyrics
Channel News Asia ^ | 19 Aug 2026

Posted on 08/19/2026 11:16:14 AM PDT by nickcarraway

Guo Degang was accused of “violating public order and good customs” after changing the lyrics of a classic Chinese revolutionary song during a recent performance.

Prominent Chinese comedian Guo Degang has come under investigation after improvising new lyrics to a well-known revolutionary song, with a complaint accusing him of violating “social order and good customs”. The incident spotlights the fine line performers in China must navigate between creative licence and political sensitivities, amid Beijing’s continued emphasis on ideological discipline.

Guo changed the lyrics of Playing My Beloved Pipa during a Peking opera adaptation of Ji Gong, a legendary Chinese Buddhist monk and folk hero, held in Wuhan on Jul 24, reported Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper. Guo starred as Ji Gong in the production. Playing My Beloved Pipa was featured in the 1956 film Railway Guerrilla - a well-known revolutionary classic depicting a group of railway workers and farmers who form a guerrilla force to fight invading imperial Japanese forces.

(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...


TOPICS: China; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1984; buddhism; censorship; china; comedy; communism; freespeech; humor; music; orwellian; socialism
Message from Jim Robinson:

Dear FRiends,

We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.

If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you,

Jim


1 posted on 08/19/2026 11:16:14 AM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I’m sure it sounded just as bad as anything else sung in Chinese.


2 posted on 08/19/2026 11:22:45 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
Is there a tip line that we can report other transgressors? I'd like to report hearing President Xi singing:

We all love
Tianamin Tank Man
He was a hero
Never a soy boy

3 posted on 08/19/2026 11:27:29 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Xiangsheng is a well known form of comedy. But the CCP protects everything. Imagine how the we would react if the Left changed the National Anthem and demanded we sing the pro-CCP lyrics they changed.


4 posted on 08/19/2026 11:46:50 AM PDT by WhiteHatBobby0701
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson