Bright lights, big laughs

The Jukongjian Theater hosts a live stand-up comedy show in Beijing on September 24, 2020 (VCG)

On the third floor of Bitaomai Life Plaza, a shopping mall in Beijing, is a comedy club named Kangaroo Comedy. It is a place where people can catch a live stand-up comedy show, still a novelty to many Chinese, and indulge in hours of laughter.

"Influenced by the popularity of online variety shows, stand-up comedy has gone viral in China over the past few years; more and more audience members are coming to watch offline shows and enjoy the live comedy," Zhou Shenglong, founder of Kangaroo Comedy, said. According to Zhou, the growing audience number indicates the huge potential of China's stand-up comedy market.

Local stand-up

Some of the online comedy and talk shows that have been trending in China in recent years include Qi Pa Shuo (U Can U Bibi), an online talkshow, and Tucao Dahui (Rock & Roast), a comedy roast, an event in which one particular guest is joked about and made fun of by his or her peers, usually in front of an audience. At the end of 2022, Tucao Dahui's fifth season topped the variety show viewer rankings. The two shows are widely seen as the launchpad for stand-up comedy to gain nationwide attention in China.

"Tucao Dahui, especially, has greatly increased the recognition of stand-up comedy in China," Zhou said. And today, the capital of China alone already features 10 promising related businesses like Kangaroo Comedy.

As a Western type of performance, stand-up comedy is believed to have flourished in the U.S. in the late 19th century. When it first made its way into China a little over a decade ago, it was inaccurately known as tuokouxiu, a transliteration from the English word "talk show." According to Zhou, he connected with the genre by watching Jim Carrey's comedies and was greatly influenced by George Carlin (1937-2008), a famous American comedian considered as one of the most influential stand-up comedians.

Some believe that stand-up comedy is the same thing as xiangsheng, also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, which is a traditional performing art in China. "That's a misconception," comedy scriptwriter and stand-up comedian Duo Zixuan said. Xiangsheng is a unique Chinese art form that contains a wide range of local, cultural connotations. The two genres do have one shared feature, though: Both address the lives of ordinary people through humor and banter. Born and raised in Tianjin, one of the most prosperous cities rich in Chinese opera culture and comic art, Duo used to be an actor and comedy scriptwriter, but then decided to shift his focus to stand-up.

Stand-up comedy has been greatly localized since it was introduced to China. Unlike Western acts, which often address political and sensitive topics, the Chinese stand-up act homes in more on daily life and current events. Take the example of Niao Niao, the runner-up in Tucao Dahui's fifth season. Being an introvert at heart, she jokes about her social phobia on stage. "A popular comedian once said 'everybody can do five minutes of stand-up comedy,' and I agree with that," Beijing-based Liu Dao, a part-time stand-up comedian, said, for him, making people laugh is the most basic essence of stand-up comedy. "While being funny, you can also put some thoughts out there and make people think—which is a very powerful aspect," he added.

Liu also believes that joking about daily ongoings strongly appeals to the Chinese audience.

Kangaroo Comedy founder Zhou Shenglong performs a stand-up routine live on stage (COURTESY PHOTO）

Passion and principles

Specializing in information technology, Liu is a fulltime technician and sometimes needs to rush back to the office to work overtime after a performance. "I work in shifts so my hours are more flexible and I can perform at the comedy club almost every evening," he explained. Just like Zhou, Liu is a big fan of Carlin's; however, it is the rise of China's online variety shows and one offline stand-up comedy that triggered him to take his own first tentative steps into the business.

Nonetheless, Liu has no intention of turning his nightly gigs into a full-time occupation because he, in his own words, really enjoys "being able to go to work while also engaging in what I love to do on the sidelines." Zhou, however, has devoted all his time and energy to stand-up comedy over the years. And even now that he owns his own comedy club, he still takes to the stage whenever he can. "I need to keep improving my game to keep up with the industry," Zhou explained.

Duo Zixuan is a close friend of Zhou's. According to the latter, Duo loves Chinese traditional culture and his jokes are down to earth but not vulgar. Duo has always tried to bring China's basic traditional cultural values—benevolence or ren, righteousness or yi, propriety or li, wisdom or zhi and fidelity or xin—to audiences in a funny way. Duo is a "gifted comedian" in the eyes of peers, but he has labeled himself as a "comedian with attitude." In his opinion, whether it be stand-up comedy or other forms of comedy, the ultimate goal is to express a point of view. "Laughter is often the only illustration of stand-up comedy, but as comedians we must have a critical spirit. If we only aim to please people, how can we have the ability to do a comedy roast?" Duo asked.

Duo once worked into his jokes the true story of his father selling the family home to lend money to a friend. The audience applauded his wit and at the same time recognized this was the way many Chinese treat their friends—cherishing friendship is one of the country's traditional cultural values. Just like this one, many of Duo's jokes are based on his own life and he hopes that by telling these everyday stories, he can convey the traditional beliefs of the Chinese people.

"Although my jokes have a local cultural background, Beijing's expats can understand them," Duo said. "They're about human nature."

Currently, China's stand-up comedy has about 10,000 active performers, but Zhou believes the industry is still in its nascent stage in the country and "the market is far from saturated." 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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