Who is Li Dan? Chinese Comedian Fined for Vulgar Lingerie Advertisement

Who is Li Dan? Li Dan, a leading stand up comedian from China has been fined 870,000 Chinese Yuan for a women's underwear advertisement that was seen as "vulgar". The 31-year-old Dan posted the video on his Weibo account in February this year. In the ad, he can be heard calling the lingerie a "career lifejacket" for women. He further added that with the help of such undergarments women could easily conquer the workplace by just lying down. Later, the ad film was pulled down and Dan apologised for it, he said that the promotion was indeed improper and he should have expected the impact beforehand.

Who is Li Dan? 5 things to know about the comedian

1. Li Dan is a popular comedian, actor, writer, screenwriter and curator in China. Dan was born in Inner Mongolia.
2. After the comedian posted the sexist ad film on lingerie, it sparked controversy. Chinese netizens pointed out that the ad was sexist and problematic. It implied that women sleep with their superiors to get a promotion and their hard work deserves no appreciation at all.
3. The video was later deleted and the brand, as well as the comedian, apologised for the offensive video. Dan accepted that it was his fault and that he will reflect upon himself. He also thanked his followers for their criticism.
4. In an event that he himself planned and organised, the leading comedian Dan admitted that though he is now a well-known public figure through his stand-up comedy shows, this type of performance is restricted only to China.
5.  Stand-up comedy used to be a sub culture in China. However, Dan took it to a larger scale among the Chinese population. In 2017, he co-produced the show Roast and Rock with Tencent Penguin Pictures to promote the stand-up comedy culture.

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