Stand-up comedy hits new heights

Rising popularity

In 2017, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co launched Rock& Roast on Tencent Video, gradually winning over audiences and promoting the development of comedy in China.

This additional attention significantly increased the influence of stand-up comedians and drove the development of offline shows.

Going to a stand-up comedy venue, listening to the performers sharing their stories of life, and relaxing with laughter after a busy day's work have become popular for many young people.

The genre is in high demand, so it is often hard to get a ticket for shows, as they are sold out.

Liu Lijuan, vice-president of Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co, said, "When the second season of Rock & Roast ended, we had witnessed an obvious rising trend in the stand-up comedy market, so we started to plan offline performances."

In April 2019, the company established a rehearsal venue called Goat on Xiangyang North Road in Shanghai. Three months later, the first Fun Factory, an official venue for stand-up comedy shows, was launched. This venue can only seat 80, but is always full.

Also in 2019, the company staged a nationwide tour for the first time, with nearly 1,500 shows attracting total audiences of more than 100,000. Nearly 80 percent of these performances were held in Shanghai, Liu added.

"Whether it's due to the number of clicks for the program, the material, or the driving force of the offline performance market, the third season of Rock & Roast made stand-up comedy truly stand out," Liu said.

According to the company, audience numbers for its offline stand-up comedy shows rose by nearly 500 percent in 2019, compared with 2017.

In 2020, daily performances with audiences averaging about 100 on weekdays and weekends could no longer meet demand.

Tickets that sell out fast after being released have become commonplace for Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co's offline shows. In particular, this was the case for the performance held at SAIC Shanghai Culture Square, which can accommodate an audience of more than 2,000.

Liu said, "Data show that nearly 600 people registered their IDs to try to grab one ticket. This is an amazing trend across the whole performance market."

Last year, more than 1,500 shows staged by the company were performed in over 25 cities, including rehearsals at the Goat venue. The shows attracted total audiences of more than 400,000 and earned over 80 million yuan at the box office.

According to the company, there are some 130 stand-up comedy clubs in China－mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Guangdong province.