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发帖数: 3833 | 1 Chinese TV star Bi Fujian caught insulting Mao
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/asia/china-tv-star-curse/index.ht
(CNN)A popular Chinese television host known for impromptu satire is now the
subject of controversy after being caught on camera cursing the late
Chairman Mao Zedong.
Bi Fujian, who works for state-run China Central Television, was filmed at a
dinner party singing a revolutionary song that eulogizes the Communist
Party's early years when he started going off script.
"The Communist Party, Chairman Mao. Don't mention that old son of a b***h.
He made us suffer so bad," went Bi's improvised lyrics.
The other dinner guests burst into laughter.
Bi later apologized. "My personal speech has led to grave social
consequences, and I feel remorseful for that. I hereby sincerely apologize
to the public. As a public figure, I shall learn the lesson from this
incident, adhering to strict self-discipline," he posted on Weibo, China's
Twitter-like social media platform.
Making disrespectful references to China's leaders in public is considered a
taboo in China, even today.
And Bi's comment was directed at the man regarded by many as the country's
founding father -- despite his controversial reputation.
The 75-second video clip, seemingly filmed on the cellphone of another
dinner guest, was uploaded on Monday.
Since then, it has been removed from video-sharing sites inside China,
although it was still accessible on Weibo.
It's unclear when the incident occurred, or what the relationsip was between
the camera person and Bi.
CCTV said it would investigate.
"As a CCTV presenter, Bi Fujian's speech in the online video has led to
grave social consequences," the network said in a statement posted on its
Weibo account.
CCTV did not respond to a CNN request for comment.
READ: Star anchor detained just before going on air
Mao divides opinion
Fondly known as "Grandpa Bi," the 56-year-old TV personality was born and
grew up in the Mao era.
The song Bi riffed on was part of a "red" Peking opera that was first
performed in the late 1950s. It was popularized during the Cultural
Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s -- which was launched by Mao -- when China
was torn apart by violence and social unrest.
The video quickly divided China's online community.
Critics said Bi, as an influential public figure, deserved a harsh
punishment. But others rushed to his defense, arguing that Bi was simply
enjoying himself in a private setting and was set up by whoever uploaded the
clip.
The video also emerged just a day before the new head of CCTV started his
job, leading some to wonder if it were a case of "a new broom sweeps clean."
Mao still divides opinion in China. His giant portrait hangs on Beijing's
Tiananmen Gate, and thousands flock to see his embalmed body at his
mausoleum in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital.
But despite this reverence, Mao's is a deeply flawed legacy.
Many remember him as a brutal dictator who inspired fear, paranoia and
famine, and whose actions resulted in tens of millions of deaths.
READ: The shadow of Mao still lingers over China
READ: China's 'lost generation' recall hardships
CNN's Shen Lu contributed to this report. |
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