Tencent-backed Douyu bans live streamer over Nanking massacre comments and vows to send all hosts for patriotic education

Tencent-backed live-streaming site Douyu said it will ban host Chen Yifaer over her comments about the Nanking massacre and vowed to have all hosts attend regular patriotic education sessions amid an ongoing clean up of online content by the country regulators.

Douyu is a Wuhan-based platform, similar to Twitch, where live-streamers make a living by playing video games and performing for their online audience. The company is planning an IPO that could raise up to US$700 million, South China Morning Post reported earlier.

Chen made fun of the Nanking massacre, a mass murder committed by Japanese troops in 1938, by saying “Japanese soldiers’ blades were so fast”. While watching a live game stream, she described a scene in the game as "bowing to Yasukuni shrine," referring to the controversial shrine honouring Japanese soldiers, including convicted war criminals.

The comments came during one of her live-streaming shows in 2016 but video of the programme was recently circulated widely online.

Douyu’s statement, posted on its official Weibo account on Tuesday night, said Chen’s words caused “baneful social influence”, adding that the company has “no tolerance towards remarks that violate laws and challenge moral standards”. The patriotic education will include visits to museums and “revolutionary” historical tourist spots.