Bi Fujian, a television host with CCTV, has made some controversial comments about Mao Zedong--which have gone viral online--that are now being condemned as "a serious violation of political discipline" by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).
SAPPRFT is also demanding that CCTV imposes a severe punishment on Bi, who has already been suspended by the television network.
The short video clip is 75 seconds long and shows Bi entertaining a group of friends in a private dinner party by singing "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy," a revolutionary song that was popular during the Cultural Revolution. In the clip, he changes a line in the song to refer to the late Mao Zedong.
Bi's improvised lyrics went, "The Communist Party, Chairman Mao. Don't mention that old son of a b***h. He made us suffer so bad."
The clip was leaked by someone who went to the dinner party. It was shot with what appears to be a mobile phone camera.
Bi has since apologized for the incident. On his Weibo account, he said that his remarks have "created serious adverse consequences . . . as a public figure I must learn my lesson, and learn to have high standards and strict self-discipline."
Bi, who has been working for CCTV since 1989, is a popular television host in China, best known for hosting "Star Boulevard" and for his use of improvised satire in his comedy. The 56-year-old TV personality is known to his fans as "Grandpa Bi" and grew up during Mao's Cultural Revolution.
On Chinese social media, opinions regarding Bi are mixed. Some say that he deserves to be punished, while others defend him, citing that his remarks were made during a private party, and it was the fault of the person that leaked the video.
In China, Mao is a controversial figure who is remembered by many as the brutal dictator of the Cultural Revolution who inspired paranoia, famine and caused tens of millions of deaths. Still, many, including the Chinese government, see him as China's founding father, which makes insulting him a taboo.