Chinese comedian Guo Degang faces official probe after altering revolutionary song lyrics

BEIJING, 19 AUGUST 2026 —

Prominent Chinese comedian Guo Degang is under investigation after changing the lyrics of a classic revolutionary song during a performance in Wuhan last month, with a complaint accusing him of violating “social order and good customs”.

Playing My Beloved Pipa was one of 100 songs chosen by the Communist Party in 2019 to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The original lyrics describe the calm of Weishan Lake as the sun sets over western China, evoking themes of resilience and national pride.

By substituting references to the Forbidden City and the Buddhist deity Ji Gong, Guo shifted the song’s tone from revolutionary to comedic, sparking immediate debate online.

An unidentified audience member filed a complaint with Wuhan’s culture and tourism bureau on August 3, arguing that the altered lyrics distorted a “classic red song” and breached standards of public order. In its response on August 11, the bureau said the improvised segment “was not reflected in the materials filed for record”, confirming it had launched an investigation into whether the unapproved performance violated commercial entertainment regulations.

“The matter will subsequently be handled in accordance with laws and regulations,” the bureau said.

Guo, 53, is a household name in China known for his xiangsheng (crosstalk) comedy and has 72.4 million followers on Weibo. His public account has not posted since August 9. Clips of the performance have circulated widely on social media, drawing reactions from internet users and state-aligned commentators alike.

Former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin weighed in on August 13, saying he found the adaptation “uncomfortable”. In a Weibo post, he questioned the appropriateness of using a revolutionary song in a comedic context and asked how authorities should characterise and punish the act.

While Hu called for public respect toward the bureau’s eventual findings, he also suggested that minor transgressions without malicious intent should be treated leniently. “People who deliberately and maliciously cross such boundaries are extremely rare in our literary and artistic circles,” he wrote.

The case reflects the tightrope performers must walk in China, where creative expression is increasingly constrained by ideological and political expectations. Guo is not the first comedian to face scrutiny. In March, Uyghur stand-up artist Xiao Pa had her Weibo account suspended after making a joke about marriage that platform moderators said “stirred up gender conflicts and created anxiety over marriage and childbirth”.

In 2023, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media was fined 14.7 million yuan ($2.18 million) after one of its comedians made a joke considered demeaning to the military, Reuters reported.

For Malaysian businesses, the episode highlights the risks of cultural content crossing national boundaries, where humour or reinterpretation can conflict with local norms or political sensitivities even in markets with no direct commercial link to China.

Related: Beijing