Laughing matters for a satire-hungry public
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It is no secret that hackneyed variety shows and ideological TV programs have long lost favor with the Chinese public.
Instead, grass-roots entertainers have been gaining ground, particularly comedians who use earthy jokes and satire.
One of the standouts is Zhou Libo, a stand-up comedian from Shanghai.
Though tickets to his shows cost as much as US$70, his performances have been fully booked throughout 2009, for good reason.
While other comedians all over the country can easily pick up the changes and challenges of life in China today as the coreof their jokes, Zhou is daring tohave fun with current affairs, politics and even Chinese politicians.
For example, in his signatureshow entitled "A Light-hearted Talk on the Past 30 Years,"marking the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening up policies, Zhou talked about the drastic changes in Shanghai since "reform and opening up"in a humorous way.
When commenting on the changes of China's political status in the world over the past 30 years, he specifically mentioned the shoe-throwing incident during Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Cambridge University last spring, and compared it with the similar experience of former US President George W. Bush in Iraq.
He vividly showed the Chinese Premier's reaction to the incident, by imitating Wen's signature index finger poking gestures and talking style.
As a result, many compare him to American late night talk show icons, such as David Letterman or Jay Leno.
However, for the latter, jokes about politicians or politics are probably the safest topics to work on.
They worry more about commercial sponsorship or sensitive racial issues.
When Zhou is asked about those political jokes he put in the shows, he explained that he"loves the country." The reason he made jokes about Chinese leaders is because he "loved them." After all, he is "very patriotic."
Apparently, he really is. Zhou's humor is hardly cutting-edge by foreign standards.
The conclusion of his shoe throwing incident joke was that the Chinese leader acted much more stylishly under such circumstances than his American counterpart.
Jon Stewart, host of the satirical program "The Daily Show," was once asked why so many Americans prefer to get the news from "fake news shows"such as his, rather than major news networks like CNN.
He answered matter-of-factly that with a 24-hour news cycle,the major media outlets do not have time for journalism anymore, but only reporting.
As a result, the news has become predictable, tabloid, and tamed. It is dominated by easy to-run soundbites from officials and politicians.
It seems that the media does not have its own analysis, vision and angle, but has only become a mouthpiece for others.
In China though, things are moving exactly the opposite direction. Investigative reporting and candid analysis are gaining ground in the media, which has also brought market success.
As a result, stand-up comedy reflecting the lives of Chinese today has also become a profitable industry in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
Some comic stars quickly cashed in by establishing their own clothing brands, restaurants and teahouses while involvingin film and TV productions.
However, one would also hope that Zhou and his growing number of fellow comedians would not lose their edge after all the fan fare.
After decades of political campaigns and self-criticism, Chinese have only just gained the ability to seek to move ahead by laughing at both our successes and our mistakes.
We need many more ZhouLibos to accompany us, even though, as Jon Stewart described himself, they are only "tiny men, standing in the back of the room throwing tomatoes at the chalk board."
Tian Wei is the host of “Dialogue” on CCTV's English Channel, and the main anchor of CCTV's special coverage of important domestic and international events. Previously, Tian worked in Washington D.C. as a correspondent, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her blog is http://blog.cctv.com/html/09/960109.html. Reach her at tianwei.gt@gmail.com
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