
Chinese officials accuse popular online stand-up shows of stirring ‘gender antagonism'
gender-related topics have gained popularity in recent weeks.
Advertisement
The shows provide a unique space for discussing social issues, including problems faced by women, but the Zhejiang province publicity department said some of the content had 'gradually deviated from humour and simplified gender topics into pitting men and women against each other'.
The article published on the department's official WeChat account on Sunday said such content was 'an effective way to attract eyeballs' and that 'getting clicks doesn't equal having value'.
24:36
'Telling my own truth': How Jimmy O. Yang found success in comedy and in Hollywood
'Telling my own truth': How Jimmy O. Yang found success in comedy and in Hollywood
It further said an 'extreme online environment' magnified antagonism, so that some jokes about male characteristics could be understood as 'attacking all men' and some jokes making fun of phenomena related to women could be labelled misogynistic.
Creators must find a balance between 'offending the audience' and striking a chord, the Zhejiang article said as it called for constructive criticism and discussion, and urged them to reveal 'life's absurdities through lightheartedness and bridge division with laughter'.
'We sincerely hope that the rising stand-up comedy scene can become more rational and profound, with less division and more understanding,' it said.
Advertisement
Although the statement did not name any content, authorities were referring to the latest seasons of King of Comedy, which debuted on iQIYI video platform on July 11, and Rock and Roast, which was shown on Tencent video on June 27. In recent weeks, multiple comedy bits by women have gone viral online and struck a chord with netizens.
In one particular performance on King of Comedy, Fan Chunli, a 50-year-old woman from a small rural village, said that when she told her parents she wanted a divorce from her abusive husband, her family thought it was shameful and refused to support her.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
2 films by star Hong Kong directors Ronny Yu and Tsui Hark you probably haven't seen
Here we look at two relatively unseen works from the star Hong Kong directors. The Occupant (1984) 'Long before he scared Hollywood with The Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason, director Ronny Yu Yan-tai made this spooky horror hit for Cinema City, a suspenseful mystery that is high on atmosphere and style,' noted the Hong Kong Film Archive in its programme note on the film. Play The Occupant is a very lightweight ghost story, a potpourri of ghostly horror, romance and comedy delivered in equal measures in a carefully understated style. The slim storyline is acceptable even though there are holes, and a top-flight cast of Sally Yeh Chian-wen, Chow Yun-fat and even kung fu legend Lo Lieh in a thoroughly thespian role delivers so much charm that it overrides the film's faults. Comedian Raymond Wong Pak-ming – one of Cinema City's co-founders – is acceptably funny, too, even though his role as an annoying and nerdy would-be Casanova was designed to irritate. The story – and the mystery – is so slim it is almost non-existent. Yeh's Canadian resident is writing a university thesis on Chinese paranormal activities and, by chance, moves into a haunted house when she visits Hong Kong to do some research.


South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Labubu dolls boost Chinese toy doctors' businesses, with 1 fixing 100 in a month
The craze for the plush Chinese toy Labubu has boosted the careers of so-called toy doctors in China. A Shanghai 'toy doctor' nicknamed Heartman said he had fixed 100 Labubu toys in the past month and had to ask his wife to help and move to a bigger studio. He said repairs were 10 per cent of the price of the toy, which is considered fair because an ordinary Labubu toy retails at 99 yuan (US$14). Under repair: A 'toy doctor' sets about fixing one of the hugely popular creations. Photo: Douyin However, they sell for hundreds of yuan on the second-hand market. Rare versions can cost thousands of yuan. Labubu is a character of The Monsters family created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Chinese toymaker Pop Mart began working with Lung in 2019. Last year, The Monsters series became Pop Mart's most popular series, seeing a 726.6 per cent increase in revenue that reached 3.04 billion yuan. One of the reasons behind the craze is K-pop group Blackpink's member Lisa, who expressed her love for the toy. Another reason, according to Pop Mart's investor Wei Zhe, is the toy's portability.


South China Morning Post
19 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Labubu dolls boost Chinese toy doctors' businesses, with 1 fixing 100 in a month
The craze for the plush Chinese toy Labubu has boosted the careers of so-called toy doctors in China. A Shanghai 'toy doctor' nicknamed Heartman said he had fixed 100 Labubu toys in the past month and had to ask his wife to help and move to a bigger studio. He said repairs were 10 per cent of the price of the toy, which is considered fair because an ordinary Labubu toy retails at 99 yuan (US$14). Under repair: A 'toy doctor' sets about fixing one of the hugely popular creations. Photo: Douyin However, they sell for hundreds of yuan on the second-hand market. Rare versions can cost thousands of yuan. Labubu is a character of The Monsters family created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Chinese toymaker Pop Mart began working with Lung in 2019. Last year, The Monsters series became Pop Mart's most popular series, seeing a 726.6 per cent increase in revenue that reached 3.04 billion yuan. One of the reasons behind the craze is K-pop group Blackpink's member Lisa, who expressed her love for the toy. Another reason, according to Pop Mart's investor Wei Zhe, is the toy's portability.