Stand-up comedy in China has moved from a fringe subculture about 10 years ago to the mainstream, with the form now reaching cities such as Kunming in Southwest China. [1]
Kunming had no stand-up comedy scene a few years ago, but it now hosts the More Than Comedy club, co-founded by Gan Zhujiali, 28, who also performs there. [1]
Comedians in the city now appear on national TV and play to sold-out crowds, turning stand-up into a full-time career option. The rise was helped by the comedy shows “Roast” in 2016 and “Rock and Roast” in 2017, which brought the format to wider audiences across China. [1]
The appeal has also come from the kind of material performers use on stage. For young Chinese audiences, stand-up offers a way to laugh at work stress, family pressure and dating. Gan said of her own material: “Medical reports should be in plain language, right? But now you read them and have no idea what they mean.” [1]
She also said the club’s growth took time, adding: “Luck had something to do with it, sure, but after five years of grinding away, maybe it was just our turn.” Wu Yang, the club’s other co-founder, described stand-up as “another means of escape.” [1]
The next sign of that growth will come as more comics test whether the audience that filled rooms in Kunming can keep stand-up as a viable mainstream business beyond the city’s club stage. [1]