Politics and Comedy in Contemporary China

This book explains the uses of laughter in contemporary China, and demonstrates how humour in China is put to many uses. Through the use of examples from different mediums such as film, sketch comedy, stand-up and sitcoms, this book demonstrates that Chinese comedy is not just about telling jokes or presenting funny scenarioshumour is also used to criticise social trends, to mock people in authority and to allow the public to reflect on China's dramatic economic and cultural changes. The authors bring comedy figures who are well-known in China, such as Zhao Benshan, Feng Xiaogang, and Guo Degang, to the attention of international readers, using translation and explanations to explain why Chinese people find their work both amusing and meaningful. They explore uniquely Chinese forms of comedy, like xiangsheng dialogues, and consider how international genres like stand-up and situation comedy are localised in China. They demonstrate how comedy can be used to sidestep censorship and satirise the humourless restrictiveness of the Chinese government. This book appeals readers who are interested in how humour is used as a form of political communication, how humour can cross national borders, and those interested in contemporary Chinese media and politics.

Is the only book providing substantive information in English about significant trends in Chinese comedy Provides new and original analysis of humour as political and social critique in China Bridges the gap between discussion of global humour and humour in China

Autorentext

Shenshen Cai works as a lecturer with Monash University in Australia, teaching Chinese and Chinese culture-related courses. Shenshen has a broad research interest and expertise in contemporary China’s popular culture. Particularly, Shenshen researches commercial and art-house films, TV dramas, literature and media phenomena. Shenshen also publishes in the field of gender, folklore and theatre studies. Shenshen is the sole author of State Propaganda in China's Entertainment Industry (Routledge 2016), Television Drama in Contemporary China: Political, Social and Cultural Phenomena (Routledge 2016) and Contemporary Chinese Films and Celebrity Directors (Palgrave Macmillan 2017), Xiangsheng and the Emergence of Guo Degang in Contemporary China (Palgrave Macmillan 2020, with EmilyDunn), Contemporary Chinese Celebrities: Moral Transgressions, Rights Defence and Public Concerns (Bloomsbury 2024); and editor of Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society (Palgrave Macmillan 2019). She has published articles in Social Semiotics (2015), Asian Studies Review (2016), Asian Theatre Journal (2016), Asian Ethnology (2017), and Celebrity Studies (2020).

Jonathan Benney is a lecturer in Chinese Studies at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. His research concentrates on political communication in modern China, as well as policy issues concerning the teaching of Chinese in Australian universities and secondary schools. His publications include the monograph Defending Rights in Contemporary China and articles in journals such as Critical Inquiry, Pacific Affairs, and the Journal of Contemporary China. He is deputy editor of the Asian Studies Review.

Inhalt

Introduction: laughter and social and political satire in contemporary China.- Postmodern hooligans: Feng Xiaogang and his comedies.- Satire through the sitcom: I Love My Family.- Current affairs meets comedy: Zhou Libo and his stand-up comedy.- Reinventing xiangsheng: Guo Degang and the Deyun Club.- Grassroots sketch comedy: transitions in Zhao Benshan's sketches.- Conclusion.