Those of you who follow us will know about C4, the sometimes funny, certainly unique, not-unnoteworthy comedy/variety show via China Radio International that we sporadically syndicate. Among the fun things that hosts Rob Hemsley and Stuart Wiggin have done recently — though not quite as good as “The Panda” — is a bloopers segment that featured none other than Xi Jinping.
A Xi Jinping impersonator, that is:
Everyone at the office reportedly liked the short, inoffensive segment — inoffensive not least of which because the impersonator isn’t even that great — but some higher-ups got cold feet, deemed it too sensitive, and knocked it off both Youku and the C4 website.
Luckily, thanks to Google Cache, we have the clip, above. (A Youku version has been in moderation for the last six hours. Update, 4/16, noon: Youku version has been approved!) The Barbra Streisand effect strikes again!
(“Join C4, China’s funniest comedy news show as we take you on a special behind the scenes look at our weekly planning process,” goes the website’s original description. “You won’t believe who the guys pay a visit to in order to get the stories that they need for next week’s episode.”)
You can watch the segment in its censored form — without Xi Jinping — here.
