Nigel Ng, better known as Uncle Roger, is a Malaysian comedian who rose to fame by humorously critiquing the way Western chefs prepare Asian dishes. Ng has earned millions of followers on various social media platforms, but his presence on Weibo and Bilibili, popular social media platforms in China, faced a recent ban. Chinese authorities put a halt to his posting activities on these platforms, citing a violation of “relevant laws and regulations.” The news of this ban comes days after the detainment of Chinese comedian Li Haoshi, who was investigated by the police for insulting China’s People’s Liberation Army in a comedy show.
Ng’s social media muzzling and Li Haoshi’s detainment are the newest additions to China’s ongoing crackdown on comedy that violates the country’s policies and message control efforts. Uncle Roger’s popularity has been cemented with a video from three years ago in which he jokingly criticized a BBC presenter’s technique in cooking a Chinese dish. His fame skyrocketed when he started playing Uncle Roger, a character that critiques the West’s culinary displays of Asian dishes.
In his recent comedy special, Ng humorously pleaded with the Chinese Communist Party not to make him “disappear” and proclaimed that he wished to join the “motherland,” stating that Taiwan is not a “real country.” In the preview clip of his stand-up routine, Ng made a face when an audience member from Guangzhou mentioned their city. Chinese authorities have not yet confirmed if the clip is related to the ban, but Ng mentioned on Twitter that it might be.
Ronny Chieng, a US comedian, has also been banned from posting on Weibo. Chieng tweeted jokes about Chinese surveillance and Beijing’s concept of Taiwan. In April, Chinese comedian Zhou Libo was investigated for his comments on a US news show. The celebrities’ chastisement is a reflection of China’s increased intolerance towards stand-up comedy, which surfaced during the Covid-19 pandemic, with comedians becoming like a last bastion of commentary on public life. In one particular case, a Chinese comedian was arrested for his comments on the military and faced a fine of 14.7 million yuan ($2 million).
China is increasingly stringent about insults to the Communist Party and the military, with comedian Li Haoshi the most recent casualty. Li Haoshi is being investigated, with scheduled jail time, for making jokes that allegedly insulted China’s military. The comedy company that Li Haoshi works with also faces a 13.3 million yuan ($2 million) penalty for promoting illegal content. Ng Man-tat, an actor, has also been targeted by authorities for expressing support for Taiwan’s independence.
Comedians and influencers in China are being warned about the government’s supervision of cultural output, and officials are using an iron hand to enforce “core values” in every public form. According to Wu Qiang, an independent political analyst based in Beijing, stand-up comedy has been the last stronghold to enjoy entertaining commentary about public life. However, authorities are clamping down on its citizens in general, with the intensification of censorship efforts and crackdowns.
In conclusion, the case of Nigel Ng has personalized the threats of China’s censorship policies against people in the creative industry. The Chinese Communist Party has become unyielding about public criticisms in entertainment forms and will undoubtedly continue to attack dissenters with bans, arrests, and convictions. This ban against Nigel Ng underscores China’s insistence on message control and robust censorship in all forms of entertainment.
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