Beijing: After a prominent comedy company in the country, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co, was fined over a military joke, Chinese authorities are on a cultural crackdown. Several comedy shows and musical programmes have been shut down with no explanation.
Some of the shows called off are a Japanese choral band touring China, stand comedy shows, and jazz shows.
The government officials called off some performances minutes before they were supposed to start. President Xi Jinping has demanded that artists align their creative ambitions with the Chinese Community Party's goals and promote the nationalist vision of Chinese identity.
According to a report in the New York Times, these cancellations and penalties are part of the Chinese government's growing scrutiny of an already heavily censored creative industry. Performers are expected to submit scripts for vetting. All publications are closely monitored.
On Tuesday, Xi sent a letter to the National Art Museum of China and told staff to "adhere to the correct political orientation."
Several corporate offices of several Western consulting or advisory companies were raided in recent weeks as part of the efforts to eliminate supposedly malign foreign influence. Many cancelled shows were supposed to feature foreign performers or speakers.