A Chinese stand-up comedian
says something “sexist”.
And it stirs a dangerous debate across China.
Welcome to China Uncensored. I’m Chris Chappell.
Amidst all of the chaos of this past year, there has been one steadily rising power within
China. No, I’m not talking about Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s pants. Although they
continue to be quite high.
I’m talking about China’s entertainment industry. There’s a growing trend of TV
shows featuring singing competitions, dance competitions, and even rap competitions.
Now, you might ask: How can you have artistic expression under an authoritarian regime that
works to silence its people and squash the slightest sign of rebellion? Too much freedom
of expression can be dangerous.
Well, don’t worry. Because glorious leader Xi Jinping has figured it out.
In 2014, Xi gave a speech saying China should be careful about what kind of foreign entertainment
gets promoted. He said, “Many art forms from overseas, such as hip-hop, breakdance,
etc... should only be adopted if the masses approve of them, while also endowing them
with healthy, progressive content.”
So basically... Xi Jinping Thought on Breakdancing with Chinese Characteristics?
Well, kind of. What Xi Jinping actually meant was that he wants to use foreign culture to
spread the Communist Party’s message. Which is why we see things like this: A rap song
from Chinese state-run television about China’s Reforms, featuring Xi Jinping!
“To rule the party strictly we must harden our bodies, the judicial reform must be victorious”
“All corruption must be punished. Every corrupt official must be prosecuted.”
“The reform group is two years old; it has done quite a lot.”
Yes, how do you do, fellow kids?
So Chinese authorities are allowing foreign art forms into China’s entertainment industry.
It’s a way for them to get the Party’s message across to young, impressionable minds.
But there’s a potential pitfall: Young, impressionable minds.
That’s why entertainment shows in China are still closely monitored by the Communist
Youth League.
“Ultimately, the authorities still set China’s cultural agenda, but the work of actually
realizing this agenda is increasingly decentralized.”
And as more producers and artists start opening up this new market, it’s become less clear
what is and isn’t allowed on, say, a nationwide broadcast. Or a nationwide streaming platform.
This is the case for stand-up comedy competition “Rock & Roast”.
The show premiered on Tencent Video, a streaming platform that belongs to tech conglomerate
Tencent.
Last year, one of the Rock & Roast finalists, Yang Li, did a stand up comedy routine...for
which she was reported to China’s National Radio and Television Administration. Why?
Well, here’s one netizen who reported her for, among other things, “alleged acts of
sexism, many instances of hostile discrimination against males, and incitement of conflict
among the masses.” And that is “detrimental to the harmonious development of China’s
socialist society.” ￼
Well, I’ve got to hand it to this netizen. They know the vocabulary.
So what did Yang Li say that was so detrimental to the harmonious development of China’s
socialist society?
“Men are so wonderful and so mysterious. You can never figure out what’s going on
in that little brain. Like, how can a guy seem so average, and still have so much self-confidence?”
Well, I know she’s not talking about me. Because I’m definitely not average.
Now her punchline doesn’t appear to be very radical. It’s not even very funny.
Not that my jokes are much better. Which I assume is why Tencent never invited me to
perform on Rock & Roast.
Now despite a rather unoriginal punchline, it stirred up a big debate on Chinese social
media—over sexism. Clips of her standup performance were shared across Chinese social
media, and it sparked a movement of women speaking up about their individual experiences
facing sexism in Chinese society.
Obviously, something needs to be done to stop these women.
But despite people reporting her to the higher-ups, China’s National Radio and Television Administration
hasn’t done anything yet. Probably because they don’t view Yang as a threat to the
Party’s agenda. But she is getting a lot of blowback from Chinese netizens. Male netizens.
Including vicious attacks from people like law professor Chu Yin at the University of
International Relations in Beijing.
You think you’re such a pretty princess. You don’t have the life of a princess, yet
you have princess disease. You should get that checked. It’s all a made-up fairy tale
from corporate minds commercializing on trends...You think you’re a proud pretty princess, but
the reality is you’re just a corporate society brainwashed leek.
Wow, that’s...really uncalled for. I’m pretty sure the problem in China is not brainwashing
from *corporate* society.
Meanwhile, Yang isn’t afraid of the attacks. She’s standing by her words.
“I can understand why people are lashing out at me. Because they think a comedian’s
perspective is a reflection of their personality, but that’s not it, I’m merely reflecting
what the audience is thinking. My comedy bit got such a big response, only because it resonated.”
In response to one of her haters, she posted on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, “If
you don’t find it funny, then don’t watch it, thank you. Try doing something more worth
your time. You have the guts to attack an entertainment figure, but that’s just part
of the job. How about instead try to offend people with power, offend the politicians,
offend the criminals.”
Is that an invitation or a death wish? Because if someone went on television and actually
offended the people in power and the politicians...I don’t think it would be just middle-age
professors attacking them.
Let’s just say Rock and Roast is not going to roast Xi Jinping anytime soon. Or Rock
and Roast will quickly find themselves between Rock and Hard Place.
But of course, making jokes about people in power is the essence of good comedy. Some
people have even based their entire career on that...(pause of self-reflection) I hope
it works out for them.
And that’s why people are warning Yang Li to tread lightly—if she wants to veer into
socio-political topics. Who knows where this will go?
Though for the most part, there has been a positive response to Yang. People give her
career full support, saying that for there to be a true stand-up comedy show in China,
the topics need to be more open.
But just how open can it be? It’s one thing to talk about sexism. And sure, that attracts
a lot of attention on social media—because that’s one of the things that people in
China *are* allowed to debate openly.
But if a person speaks her mind on political topics, she might find herself whisked away
to get “re-educated.”
Of course, if everyone in China speaks their mind, there’ll be no way to stop the tide.
I mean, how many re-education camps can there be, right?
What’s that Shelley? There’s 500 in just one region?!
OK, nevermind. It’s gonna be an uphill battle.
And now it’s time for me to answer a question from one of our fans who supports China Uncensored
through the crowdfunding website Patreon. You can support the show too at patreon.com/ChinaUncensored,
and I might answer your question at the end of an episode.
Jon Gilmour asks “Are you going to SHAVE YOUR BEARD OFF?”
Why would I shave my beard off? Sure, having a beard means I may not look like a traditional
news anchor, but if that’s what the people wanted, then Matt would be hosting China Uncensored.
That’s not what the people want. The people want the beard. Wisdom springs from the roots
of this beard, Jon. Confucius had a beard. Abraham Lincoln had a beard. Chuck Norris
has a beard.
I think you see my point here, Jon. And if you don’t, I’m going to have to report
you to the National Radio and Television Administration for hostile discrimination against my beard.
Thanks for your question. And thank you for watching China Uncensored. Don’t forget
to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you'll know when we release the next
episode. Once again I’m Chris Chappell, see you next time.