Beijing It might seem like there isn’t much to chuckle about these days for Chinese women.
As it pushes women to adopt conventional roles as spouses and mothers, the government is cracking down on feminist advocacy as the second-largest economy in the world struggles to recover from the pandemic.
However, on a recent winter evening in Beijing, ladies were still laughing as amateur entertainers made jokes about work and family life to a small but attentive crowd of around 20 people, primarily young women, at a Western restaurant.
Alex Wang, the sole female performer among the about six other performers that evening, claimed that when she took the stage for the first time a few years prior, she felt strong.
In an interview following her performance, she stated that while being hilarious is the most essential thing, she also wants to develop as a woman finding her voice in this field.
One way that feminism is becoming more popular in China is through humor, as evidenced by the rise of comedic female-oriented films and the expanding involvement of women in the country’s stand-up scene.
Even when women in China achieve higher levels of education and advance in the workforce, the feminist movement is met with fierce opposition.
The Politburo, the top leadership of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, has 24 members, and for the first time in decades, not one of them is a woman. President Xi Jinping has personally urged women to adopt a kid-bearing culture as the once most populous nation in the world faces declining birth rates.
The government’s attack on feminist activity has been well publicized. Huang Xueqin, a Chinese journalist and #MeToo activist, was given a five-year prison sentence for subversion in June.
However, Her Story, a feminist comedy starring and directed by women that was a box office success in China late last year, received plaudits even from Chinese official media. The film’s depiction of the ridiculous and hilarious elements of everyday life was praised by People’s Daily, the state-run newspaper.
The movie, which has been called China’s response to the 2023 blockbuster Barbie, boldly challenges assumptions about women, sexuality, divorce, and single parenting—all of which may be delicate subjects in this country.
According to Feng Yuan, the founding director of Beijing Equality, a nongovernmental group dedicated to women’s rights and gender equality, Her Story may be able to overcome that in part because its societal critique is disguised as humor.
She added that comedy is a useful tool for expressing your rage in addition to helping you get past censors.
Wang Tiemei, a recently unemployed single mother of a 9-year-old girl, and their young female neighbor Xiao Ye in Shanghai are the subjects of the movie. As the two ladies deal with personal issues, such as Wang’s violent ex-husband, they develop a close friendship despite their disparate personalities.
Its candid tone has also sparked conversations on female sexuality similar to those sparked by recent American films like the sexy drama Babygirl, which stars Nicole Kidman.
After watching Her Story, which she described as “quite moving,” Zhang Tong, 25, remarked at a Beijing theater last month that it’s fairly uncommon to witness stories about single mothers or women’s lives in general.
According to her, it will assist more women—particularly young women—in better understanding who they are and feeling empowered to live for themselves.
According to Chinese box office website Maoyan, Her Story has generated 720 million yuan ($99 million) since its November 22 premiere. Douban, a Chinese film rating website, has given it a 9.1 out of 10 rating.
Despite not making it into China’s top ten highest-grossing films of the previous year, Yolo, a film starring and directed by women, took first place with 3.4 billion yuan ($470 million). The 2021 female-oriented comedy Hi, Mom, which was directed by Chinese comedian Jia Ling, made almost 5.4 billion yuan ($742 million), making her the highest-grossing female director in the world until Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
These films’ success signals a change in the Chinese box office, which is the second-largest in the world after the US, where the biggest films have traditionally been blockbusters with patriotic themes and a male preponderance.
“People like my movie because it’s different from others and shows some novelty,” Her Story director Shao Yihui told state-run television CCTV.
In a field that was dominated by men just a few years ago, Chinese women stand-up comedians claim they are also contributing something unique.
Wang claimed that her experiences as a woman have influenced some of her jokes.
For instance, she stated, I had a moment earlier when I ridiculed those terrible men who believe that everyone is attracted to them. I’ve also written on things like the stigma associated with periods.
She mentioned Yang Li, arguably the most well-known female character in Chinese stand-up comedy, as an influence. When she was at her best, she gave jokes about the male mentality while performing on national television in front of millions of spectators.
According to Wang, the topics she and other common female comedians discuss, particularly from a female viewpoint, truly capture the mood of society today. You can see how those jokes strike a chord with people, and their content raises awareness of challenges that women confront.
However, not everyone can relate to them.
After men who were upset by Yang’s ribbing filled social media with complaints and accused her of inciting gender antagonism—a term also used by Chinese state media to disparage feminism—the Chinese e-commerce behemoth JD.com terminated a promotional campaign involving Yang in October.
According to Feng, misogynists have become more vocal in China along with feminists, and Yang was an obvious target.
She claimed that they are constantly searching for a means to vent their rage.
Chinese comedians say they have to be aware of cultural sensitivities, fragile egos, and censors. In 2023, a stand-up comedian who was accused of disparaging the People’s Liberation Army after a performance in Beijing was fined over $2 million by a Chinese entertainment company. It took more than a year for the entire business to collapse, and it wasn’t until last fall that stand-up comedy made a comeback on Chinese television.
According to Beijing-based stand-up comic Nico Toomuch, 34, “a lot of topics are kind of like we are not sure if we can laugh at that.”
However, Toomuch, who has been performing since 2016, continues to use her talents as a woman to joke about anything from marriage to menstruation and despair.
She claimed that we are more perceptive, empathetic, and skilled observers. We can therefore take a joke in order to deliver one.