Taiyuan cultural authorities confused by Pangu’s Olympics song

This little punk song has been circulating on Chinese video sharing sites in recent weeks (they don’t stay up long, so this is the Youtube version):

The band is Pangu (盘古, aka Punk God), and the song is 奥你妈的运 (called “BeijingFuckingOlympia” on Youtube). The lyrics are simple, says lead singer Ao Bo in his introductory patter: “In Taiyuan there’s an underground band called BeijingFuckingOlympia / That name is not fucking bad / It’s really fucking awesome.” Then there’s the repeated phrase 操你妈的北京奥你妈的运, or roughly “Fuck Beijing’s Olympic fucking games.”

The performance shown here is from the 2006 Say Yes to Taiwan festival. The online buzz caught the attention of the authorities in Shanxi, who probably were reacting to the sensitive politics and the band’s “splittist” tendencies, or perhaps their association to jailed dissident Zhang Lin, when they issued the following notice:

Notice on the investigation and handling of illegal transmission of the song BeijingFuckingOlympia

Document #38 (2007)

To all municipal cultural bureaus and the provincial cultural market inspection squads:

In recent days, the song “BeijingFuckingOlympia” (lead singer: Guo Yifei; bass: Yu Hao), performed by the band Pangu and produced by Diceng Music Studios in Taiyuan, has been circulating on the Internet and is being sold on the album An Ideal Ten Kuai. This song seriously violates the Law on Audio Products, the Law on Commercial Performances, and the Temporary Regulations on Internet Culture, and has brought an extremely negative influence to society.

Would all municipal culture bureaus, in the course of their daily inspections, look out for and promptly take care of the illegal transmission of the song “BeijingFuckingOlympia” and audio products containing the song. In light of the fact that the members of Pangu and Diceng Music Studios are from Taiyuan, would the Taiyuan Municipal Culture Bureau heighten its inspections and carry out punishments for these illegal actions in accordance with the law.

Department of Culture of Shanxi Province

2007.05.29

On 4 June, the Taiyuan Municipal Cultural Market Management Office then circulated the notice under the recursive title “Notice on the circulation of the Provincial Culture Department’s ‘Notice on the investigation and handling of illegal transmission of the song BeijingFuckingOlympia‘.”

But Pangu’s from Nanchang, not Taiyuan, and doesn’t include members named Guo Yifei or Yu Hao. Did the cultural authorities even watch the video they’re condemning? Like the lyrics state, 奥你妈的运 is the name of an underground punk band from Taiyuan (that now seems to be billed as “Water Way”). In 2002, that band did indeed issue a CD called “An Ideal Ten Kuai” (一个理想十块钱).

Will Diceng Studios really be punished for a performance they had nothing to do with? Or is this just a round-about way of demonstrating that efforts are being made to protect Olympic IP?