Chinese comedy has a long history that dates back to the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

(1100 BC to 221 BC) when the aristocracy kept jesters in their homes. At that time people in higher society were profoundly influenced by the teachings of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

, and as a result comic shows were usually looked down upon in feudal China. During the late

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

(1644–1911) and Republic of China period, different styles of comedy flourished in big cities and the genre of

xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as ...

comic drama began to emerge. Since the 1980s, the rapid development of media throughout the country has led to the formation of new forms of comedy, which have become popular among the general population. Today, the most consumed genres of Chinese comedy are Chinese skit and

Xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as ...

Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk, is a traditional Chinese comedic performance in different forms of dialogue. Xiangsheng is a language art combining four basic techniques: speaking, imitating, teasing, and singing. It can be conducted by one or two performers. It is one of the most popular forms of entertainment because its language is rich in puns and allusions. New developments have been applied to this traditional art in order to keep pace with the times. Xiangsheng is a very contemporary performance. Comedians place emphasis on creating new works and injecting new elements into traditional works making them more relevant to current affairs. It is performed in the form of a dialogue between two performers, or, much less often, a solo monologue or, even less frequently, a multi-person dialogue.

Chinese skit

Chinese

skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote See also * Skete A skete ( ) is a monastic communi ...

is a form of performance about small things in people's daily lives. Chinese skit is generally regarded as originating in 1980s. It has inherited qualities, and developed from other forms of comedy, such as stage play, xiangsheng,

errenzhuan ''Errenzhuan'' or two-people rotation () is a genre of local folk dance and song from Northeast China, usually involving two performers (one male and one female). The dance uses folded fans or square-shaped red handkerchiefs, which are twirled as ...

and comic drama. A skit revolves around just one topic, but with a lot of action and lively language. Through promotion by the Spring Festival Gala Evening over 2 years, Chinese skit became a very popular artistic form in China. The first skit in China was “eating noodles” (in 1984) which was performed by

Chen Peisi Chen Peisi (; born 1 February 1954) is a Chinese sketch comedian, film and stage actor, and voice actor. Chen's oft-time comedy partner is Zhu Shimao. Name Chen Peisi is the second son of famous stage and film actor Chen Qiang. Chen Qiang's f ...

Shanghai style stand-up comedy

The typical form of Shanghai-style stand-up comedy is the style known as "Shanghai Qing Kou", which was created by Zhou Libo — a most famous stand-up comedian in China. "Shanghai Qing Kou" originated from different forms of local stand-up comedy in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. It is a style of comedy in which the performer speaks directly to the audience on socially popular topics. In the performances the performer will include his or her personal experiences.

References

External links

* Mu Qian. "Old 'xiangsheng' stirs up New Laughs in Teahouse." China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World. Web. 12 August 2010.. * "Zhou Libo - Windows Live." Seven Castles - Windows Live. Web. 12 August 2010. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Comedy

Comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

Stand-up comedy