BEIJING — For women in China, it may feel as if there is little to laugh about these days.
The world’s second-largest economy is struggling to recover from the pandemic, and the government is cracking down on feminist activism as it encourages women to embrace “traditional” female roles as wives and mothers.
But women were laughing nonetheless, as amateur performers told jokes about office and family life to a small but engaged audience of about 20 people, mostly young women, at a Western restaurant in Beijing on a recent winter evening.
Alex Wang, the only female performer out of about half a dozen that night, said she felt “empowered” when she first got on stage a few years ago.
Though “being funny is the most important thing,” she said in an interview after her performance, “I want to grow not just as a comedian but as a woman finding her voice in this space.”
The growing role of women in China’s stand-up scene, along with the recent success of funny female-oriented films, reflect one way feminism is breaking into the Chinese mainstream: through comedy.
The feminist movement is facing strong resistance in China, even as women attain new educational heights and make strides in the workplace.
For the first time in decades, there is not a single woman among the 24 members of the Politburo, the senior leadership of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi Jinping has personally called on women to embrace a “childbearing culture” as the world’s once-most-populous country struggles with low birth rates.
The government has made no secret of its crackdown on feminist activity. In June, Chinese journalist and #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin was sentenced to five years in prison for subversion.
But even Chinese state media had praise for “Her Story,” a feminist comedy directed by and starring women that was a box-office hit in China late last year. The state-run newspaper People’s Daily lauded the film’s portrayal of the “humorous and absurd” aspects of daily life.
The film has been described as China’s answer to the 2023 hit “Barbie,” openly calling out stereotypes about women, sexuality, single parenting and divorce — all issues that can be sensitive here.
“Her Story” may be able to get around that in part because its social critique is couched in comedy, said Feng Yuan, the founding director of Beijing Equality, a women’s rights and gender equality nongovernment organization.
In addition to helping evade censors, comedy is a “handy tool to speak out your anger,” she said.
The film tells the story of Wang Tiemei, a newly unemployed single mother of a 9-year-old daughter, and their young female neighbor Xiao Ye in Shanghai. Despite their different personalities, the two women form a strong bond as they navigate personal challenges, including Wang’s abusive ex-husband.
Its frank tone has also inspired discussions about female sexuality akin to those set off by recent U.S. films such as the Nicole Kidman-starring erotic thriller “Babygirl.”
“It’s pretty rare to see stories about single moms or just women’s lives in general,” Zhang Tong, 25, said at a Beijing theater last month after seeing “Her Story,” which she called “quite moving.”
“It will help more women, especially young women, understand themselves better and feel empowered to live for themselves,” she said.
“Her Story” has made 720 million yuan ($99 million) since its release on Nov. 22, according to the Chinese box office site Maoyan, and has a score of 9.1 out of 10 on Douban, a Chinese film rating site.
Though the film did not crack China’s top 10 highest-grossing films last year, another movie directed by and starring women, “Yolo,” topped the list at 3.4 billion yuan ($470 million). Its director, Chinese comedian Jia Ling, also directed the 2021 female-oriented comedy “Hi, Mom,” which grossed more than 5.4 billion yuan ($742 million), making her the world’s top-grossing female filmmaker until Greta Gerwig with “Barbie.”
The success of these films marks a shift in the Chinese box office, the second-largest in the world after the United States, where the biggest movies have typically been male-dominated, patriotism-themed blockbusters.
“My movie delivers something different from others, showing some novelty, so people like it,” Shao Yihui, the director of “Her Story,” told state-run broadcaster CCTV.
Women who perform stand-up comedy in China say they are also offering something different in an industry that only a few years ago was a sea of men.
Wang said her jokes are informed partly by her experience as a woman.
“For example, earlier I had a bit where I made fun of those awful guys who think everyone in the world is into them,” she said. “I’ve also done material on topics like period stigma.”
She cited the influence of Yang Li, who is perhaps the most recognizable female figure in Chinese stand-up comedy. At her peak, she performed in front of millions of viewers on national television, delivering punchlines on the male psyche.
“I think what she and other everyday female comedians talk about, especially from a female perspective, really reflects the current state of society,” Wang said. “Their material brings attention to issues women face, and you can clearly see how those jokes resonate with people.”
But they don’t resonate with everyone.
In October, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com ended a promotional campaign featuring Yang after men offended by her ribbing flooded social media with complaints and accused of her of provoking “gender antagonism,” a term also used by Chinese state media to criticize feminism.
As feminists have raised their voices in China, so have those with misogynist views, Feng said, and Yang made for a clear target.
“They are always looking for some outlet to release their anger,” she said.
Chinese comedians say they have to be mindful of censors as well as fragile egos and cultural sensitivities. In 2023, a Chinese entertainment firm representing a stand-up comic was fined almost $2 million after he was accused of insulting the People’s Liberation Army during a Beijing performance. The entire industry went to ground for more than a year, with stand-up comedy not returning to Chinese television until last fall.
“For a Chinese audience, a lot of topics, it is kind of like we are not sure if we can laugh at that,” said Nico Toomuch, 34, a stand-up comedian in Beijing.
That hasn’t stopped Toomuch, who has been performing since 2016, from joking about everything from marriage to menstruation and depression — drawing in part on her strengths as a woman.
“We are more sensitive, emotional, and we are better at observing things,” she said. “That’s why we can take a joke, so we can deliver one.”
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