WATERVILLE — “Political Satire and the Authoritarian State in Contemporary China,” by Colby professor Hong Zhang, is the title of a program hosted by Mid Maine Global Forum at noon Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Alfond Youth Center, 126 North St., according to a news release from the forum.

The program is sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council as part of its World in Your Library programs.

According to the release, one new social phenomenon in China’s post-Mao reform era is the resurgence and wide-spread popularity of political satire. Diverse and pungent satirical sayings of reform-era China poke fun at corruption, hypocrisy, bureaucratic inefficiency, as well as voice outcries at new social ills and injustices.

This talk explores the popularity and role of political satire as a form of protest to vent dissent in the authoritarian China, and argues that as a social barometer, the political satire provides us an important window to understand how Chinese people develop their political astuteness through producing, circulating, and consuming political humor and satire in contemporary China.

Lunch will be catered by Kennebec Valley Community College for $10; pay at the door.

Registration is required by Monday, Sept. 18.

Lunch includes soup, sandwich, coffee, tea and dessert. Please indicate sandwich choice: Turkey with lettuce/tomato on wheat, chicken salad with lettuce/tomato on brioche roll, veggie wrap.

Registrants who request lunch are responsible for lunch fees. If plans change and can not attend, notify the center so lunch orders can be adjusted.

To register, email Elizabeth.Helitzer@maine.edu, call 621-3532.