Some speak of the “most expensive joke in the world”: In China, the production company of a stand-up comedian has been fined the equivalent of around two million euros. The comedy scene in the country, which is already strictly censored, now fears for its freedom.
It’s 7:30 p.m. when the main lights in a comedy club in Shanghai are dimmed and only one bright spotlight illuminates the stage. A young man steps through the black curtain in front of a lonely microphone stand. “Who of you has been here before?” he calls into the hall. Many of the around 200 mostly young spectators in the sold-out club raise their hands. Stand-up comedy is a relatively new genre in China, but one that has exploded in popularity over the past five years.
“Ok, here are the rules,” the young man continues. “Mute phones, no videos – and nobody in the audience makes jokes funnier than ours!”