Keywords
Freedom of expression
Military
Party politics
Submitted : 2024-01-23
Accepted : 2024-02-07
Published : 2024-02-22
Abstract
Recently, a Chinese stand-up comedian was reported for allegedly insulting the military in his stand-up comedy,which eventually led to the downfall of his acting career, a police investigation, and left significant implications on theentire stand-up comedy industry. To understand the gravity of the situation, it is necessary to go back to the roots ofChinese history and culture. In China, the military holds significant importance as a constitutional institution, a statusdeeply rooted in the country’s historical context. This importance is reinforced by the contemporary political structureknown as the Party-Government-Military Trinity. Within this framework, the Communist Party’s mass line plays a crucialrole in establishing a strong foundation for the party’s acquisition and legitimacy of political power. Additionally, themilitary’s image serves as a symbol of political authority and national security.
References
Chen Y, (ed) 2023, Stand-up Comedian’s Play on Words Leads to Controversy, Laughing Fruit Culture Apologizes: Indefinitely Stop its Work, Surfing News, May 15, 2023. https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23087732
Su L, 2018, Great Power Constitutionalism: The Institutional Composition of Historical China, Peking University Press.
Huntington SP, 1981, The Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Perlmutter A, LeoGrande WM, 1982, The Party in Uniform: Toward a Theory of Civil-Military Relations in Communist Political Systems. The American Political Science Review, 76(47): 78–89.
Joffe E, Party-Army Relations in China: Retrospect and Prospect”. In China’s Military in Transition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997.
Scobell A, 2006, China’s Evolving Civil-Military Relations. Creeping Guojiahua, Routledge, London.
Mulvenon J, 2001, China: Conditional Compliance, in Coercion and Governance. The Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia, Stanford University Press, Stanford.
Shambaugh D, 2002, Modernizing China’s Military. Progress, Problems, and Prospects, University of California Press, Berkeley