Feature: Chinese comedians break tradition while splitting sides

For more than a decade, "Xijiangyue" (stage name) has been consistent in one thing: making people laugh.

Xijiangyue is a stand-up comedian -- a rare thing in China, where comedians often entertain by juggling or "playing the fool."

In 2010, he started a stand-up comedy club in Beijing. Members perform in pubs, coffee shops and theaters on weekends.

He is one of a small but growing number of Chinese stand-up comedians, who number around 30 people.

EMBARRASSMENT

In a humble coffee shop in a downtown art district, nearly a hundred people were gathered, including young couples, students, a few middle-aged men, and a pregnant woman.

Six performers walked on stage one after one, each performing for five to 10 minutes. The comedians came from all walks of life: lawyers, teachers, fitness instructors, scientists, computer programmers, and foreign students who have studied Chinese.

Xijiangyue, an engineering graduate, used to run a decoration company. His life completely changed in 2004 after watching an online video of U.S. comedian Chris Rock. Though he could not understand the jokes without subtitles, he was intrigued by the art and eager to try.

He had loved being funny since childhood. After months of imitating videos, he started writing jokes, poking fun at different comedy forms across China.

His debut was in a pub with only five onlookers. Only two of them laughed, "very politely," he said.

Almost all stand-up comedians have experienced this embarrassment. Some even joke about the humiliation.

"When there is only one person watching, it is not the performer but the audience member who feels more embarrassed," he said.

"Once, there was only a woman in the audience. She wanted to leave for a bathroom break, but was very shy to say. She looked at me, embarrassed, and I stared back at her. Then she said, 'How about I leave my cell phone here?'" Xijiangyue quoted, explaining that the gesture was an implicit promise to return.

"I was very afraid of losing my audience," he said.

He did not give up. The club always brings members together to discuss and rehearse. Some began reading professional books, while others loved to take notes about every funny or embarrassing moment of their lives, even while sitting on the toilet.

In the past six years, their audience has grown, and ticket prices for their shows have increased from 30 yuan to 120 yuan. Members also bring their performances to campuses, communities and the military in Beijing and other cities. Many fans have become comedians.

ROCK MUSIC OF COMEDY

Many Chinese people have come to know stand-up through Chinese American comic Joe Wong, who was invited to speak at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2011. He became an instant celebrity after his 15-minute video swept Chinese social media. Though he spoke English with a strong accent, his speech made the American audience laugh, including Vice President Joe Biden. Some called him "the Yao Ming of Comedy."

Local media praised him for breaking foreigners' stereotypes of Chinese as unsociable, shy and lacking a sense of humor.

Xijiangyue loves stand-up because it allows performers to freely express their opinions, and people often laugh at opinions different from their own.

"When I was in school, teachers did not like students who had different views," he said.

Tony Chou, formerly an English teacher, is a bilingual stand-up comedian. He sees stand-up as the "rock music of comedy," because its content is critical and based in reality.

"Stand-up comics are not acting as somebody else, they are just being themselves," said Tony, who is the founder of another stand-up club in Beijing.

"Xiaowu", a 27-year-old comedienne, enjoys stand-up because she can amuse people with thoughts and humor. She explained that most traditional female comedians in China get laughs by making themselves ugly on stage.

For foreign comedians in China, cultural differences make good material. Jesse, from the United States, focuses on misunderstandings between Oriental and Western cultures. For example, he notes that Chinese friends always wish him "Merry Christmas," even though he is Jewish and has never celebrated the Christian holiday.

Stand-up comedians use self-deprecation and sarcasm. They poke fun at bureaucracy, air pollution, job discrimination, irresponsible doctors, and movie star scandals. Hot news and events are all fodder for jokes.

"Easy, spicy, and real," said one audience member with the surname Zhang. "Although some jokes are a little exaggerated, you can still find traces of real life."

The growing enthusiasm for stand-up mirrors changes in Chinese society. Its audience is mainly educated young people with high salaries. Some have experience studying or working overseas.

"More and more Chinese people have begun developing a global outlook. After money, they have more spiritual pursuits," said Tony.

Club members view stand-up as a remedy for depression. Most of them are single, living alone and always working overtime. "Huanle" (which means joy) works for an IT company. He does not have a house, a car, or even a girlfriend. But the audience's laughter gives him a strong sense of satisfaction. On stage, he feels happy.

CULTURAL CONFLICT

It hasn't been easy for stand-up to catch on in China.

Club members recounted a time when an audience member from Henan Province rushed the stage to argue with a comedian who made fun of people from the province.

Having performed in the United States and Ireland, Tony found that foreign performers engage with the audience frequently, making fun of them freely. "But the Chinese audience does not like to be the butt of jokes," he said.

In Chinese cross-talk, a comedic art that usually features a two-person dialogue, the performers traditionally flatter the audience while belittling themselves. After all, the audience is the hand that feeds them. But in stand-up, the audience and performers are on equal footing.

Tony is reluctant to explain stand-up as a type of one-man cross-talk to Chinese people unfamiliar with the form.

"It has no Chinese equivalent," he said.

Xijiangyue sees other differences between the comedic traditions. He said Westerners like more complicated jokes that take longer to set up, but in China this often does not work.

"People don't laugh," he said, adding that Chinese are accustomed to cross-talk, which satisfies the audience by speaking fast or showing off skills.

Joe Wong echoed the observation.

"The domestic audience like direct jokes. The more straightforward you are, the more they laugh. But foreigners prefer to think for a while, and then laugh," he said. Wong performed stand-up on China's Central Television last year.

Chinese comedy has had a big year: a number of comedy shows were launched on prime-time TV, several comedic movies topped China's box office, and the China Comedy Theater opened in Beijing.

Many young Chinese are watching foreign stand-up online to kill time and brush up their knowledge of foreign languages and Western culture. Others have been inspired to create comedy programs for TV and social media.

Xijiangyue said he would not stop playing in the pubs, coffee shops, and theaters where he got his start.

"Stage performance is practice for me," he said. "I used to be anxious about personal gains and losses in business, but after 12 years of doing stand-up, I care more about my peace of mind. Just be happy." Endi