“人生挺短的，干嘛不笑呢？”

The increasing popularity of the performance comedy art in China tells that fun has no borders.

图源：中国日报

A microphone, a spotlight, and sometimes a chair. That's all what needed for most stand-up comedy performance. 

Joe Wong is one of the early performers on this stage. When it comes to Chinese stand-up comedy, he is a pioneer who cannot be ignored.

Wong gained instant fame both in the US and China for his calm yet razor-sharp performance at the annual Radio & Television Correspondents' Dinner during which he roasted the in-attendance then-vice president Joe Biden without mercy. 

The show was such a success that Wong was given a standing ovation by the audience. And many Chinese consider it to be the pinnacle of his career, to the latter's dismay. "Actually my later performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert are more popular on YouTube," he says resignedly.

It was the late, great comedian Richard Pryor who said that all humor is rooted in pain, which illustrates how Wong started his comedy career.

图源：微博@黄西Joe_Wong

Wong worked for more than eight years in a company but never got promoted. White recruits got promoted quickly. Wong journaled to relieve his pain but felt even more depressed when reading old entries. 

"In most difficult situations, you have a choice whether to laugh or cry. Life is so short, why not be happy? From then on, I wanted to write something funny," Wong says.

As for the difference between Chinese and American humor, he explained that the techniques and underlying logic of American stand-up and Chinese crosstalk are basically the same. What distinguishes the two is the language and cultural differences. Therefore, it is rather difficult for a stand-up comedian to crack up both Chinese and American audiences at the same time.

"Many said that China does not agree with me and my jokes don't crack here, actually this is good for a stand-up comedian. Setbacks and uneasiness will instead amplify your urge to create. I've never seen a silver-spoon kid grown to be an excellent stand-up comedian," he says.

Wong believes that self-deprecation and teasing can help people move on. "Humor is the best way to accept that life is not perfect," he says.

In 2012, a stand-up variety show named Tonight Post-80s Talk Show hosted by Wang Zijian, a crosstalk comedian, aired on Dragon TV. During each themed episode the host discussed hot social issues and events that concerned young people the most. The show, the first of its kind, acquainted a wider Chinese audience with stand-up. The show's scriptwriters and supporting actors such as Li Dan and Wang Jianguo are known as the "original gangsters" of the stand-up business in China.

Rock & Roast and Roast, two popular stand-up variety shows that aired in 2017, helped spread the popularity of stand-up comedy and were the launchpad for stand-up comedy gaining nationwide attention in China.

launchpad  n. 开端；发射台

According to the Rock & Roast Marketing White Paper released by Tencent Video, the audience for stand-up comedy is mainly higher-income people aged between 18 and 35 in the first- and second-tier cities who have relatively higher social status, incomes and spending power. 

图源：《脱口秀营销白皮书》

Zhao Ruhan, a professor at the Institute of Communication Studies, Communication University of China, explained that the audience has become more demanding of entertainment forms with the rapid development of society. And stand-up, as an interactive entertainment form, is a way for people to release the stress that comes with an increasingly fast-paced society.

Yet there are a variety of problems confronting the budding industry. Among them, despite the staggering appearance and advertising fees of A-list comedians, most stand-up comedians are poorly paid for offline shows.

Professor Wang Xuebin notes that as a fast-growing industry, appropriate guidance and supervision are needed to ensure the sustainable and healthy development of stand-up in China.

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