China detains artist who posted humorous photo of president

Beijing - The wife of a Chinese artist says authorities have detained him after he posted a humorous portrait of President Xi Jinping online.

Judy Zhu said on Thursday that police are accusing artist Dai Jianyong of creating a disturbance after detaining him on Tuesday near their Shanghai home. Police there didn't answer phones on Thursday.

Dai is known for posting eclectic photos on social media, including some showing himself and others scrunching up their lips and eyes. Dai posted images of Xi with the same expression while wearing a moustache. He has also printed stickers with the Xi portrait.

Chinese authorities have tightened their grip on political dissent and have cracked down on Chinese artists who supported pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong last year. Dai faces up to five years in prison.

View the some of the offending posts below

#shanghai

A photo posted by ??? (@coca96) on May 24, 2015 at 7:37am PDT

China face pic.twitter.com/0ZbXIT6zza

— Jianyong Dai (@coca96) November 10, 2014