Hong Kong
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Wore her short hair and showless clothes, Hwang Chunli shows a middle-aged Chinese countryside woman to everyone. She stands out amidst crowds of young people competing for becoming the next breakout star in one of China’s most popular stand-up comedy contests.
However, when the 50-year-old takes the microphone, she shines in life, dripping with sarcasm and drops down a joke about her abusive ex-husband who makes the audience a mixture of laughter and tears.
Fans from places who know how to use the internet simply “turn to Elon Musk in my village” are the latest sensations in the booming scene of China, an art form that provides outlets of grievances in countries that often thwart public debates in politics and society.
However, fans Aselvik took over patriarchy, domestic abuse is wary of some Chinese officials, and women’s rights remain a sensitive issue. The dominant Communist Party is trying to raise fertility rates and stop the looming demographic crisis. It cracked down heavily on the country’s early feminist movements.
During the performance that famously shot her earlier this month, fans exposed the absurdity facing many victims of domestic violence in the country.
She said she was beaten by her ex-husband. However, when she told her parents she wanted a divorce, her father warned her not to bring any disgrace to her family.
“When a man is involved in domestic violence, that’s not shameful. When a woman demands divorce, that’s not shameful,” she said.
The fan’s performance appears to be regretting at least one local government.
Last week, after footage of her routine became word-of-mouth, officials from Zhijiang Eastern Province issued a warning that such jokes were “catalysts that cause gender conflicts.”
The statement did not directly name the fans or the show in question that it is only hinted at by newcomers called “the industry gems,” namely newcomers called nicknames given by the show’s judges.
“The content of some talk shows gradually deviate from the nature of humor, simplifying gender issues and repeatedly fussing about “opposition between men and women.” The state does not have specific links to fans or television shows, but the department occasionally posts commentary on recent trends.
He said that discussions on gender issues should be “rational.”
The Chinese government has cracked down on feminist activities over the past decade. Most notably, a group of women who became known as the “Feminist Five” were arrested after planning a public transport protest against sexual harassment in 2015.
However, while authorities allow mild discussions on social media, films featuring feminist themes continue to screen without issue.
However, fan backgrounds – state backgrounds, not wealthy or highly educated – may contribute to official uncertainty over her popularity, adding an extra layer of scrutiny.
“She is a middle-aged woman from a rural background and is not one of the typical urban liberal elite feminists,” said Meng Bingchun, a communications professor studying feminism at the London School of Economics (LSE).
“This seems to indicate this type of grievance and complaints related to gender issues, as well as the traditional Confident, patriarchal values, perhaps more widespread than they (the authorities) want to acknowledge,” she told CNN.
Traditional social codes can be as strict as government dictatts. Late last year, Chinese e-commerce giant JD faced a boycott by customers who were upset by the cast of pioneering female comedian Yang Li in a live stream of promotions.
The people leading the action seemingly still stabbed by Quip, a signature by Yang five years ago, making the mediocre man chi.
Sudden to online backlash, the company apologized and cut ties with Yang.
Fans have never publicly identified themselves as feminists. However, in a post on online platform Weibo, she writes that she believes that leaving social constraints in rural life could lead to “women’s awakening.”
“For example, when I say I want to divorce in my village, I am considered a ruthless villain,” she writes.
“But when you talk about divorce outside, the audience applauds.”
Growing up away from major Chinese cities, she had no formal education until she was eight years old. However, it soon ended after middle school.
Growing up in a time when opportunities were mostly for men, she remembered picking up work in the city before getting married, and her mother handed her brother all the money she had sent home.
“A girl who grew up in a rural village has no right to inherit anything, not a home, not a land,” she told Sanrian. “At the time… I just wanted to get married.”
However, after getting married, she discovers that “family and marriage are trapped by women, making it impossible for them to make money.”
For fans, life before stand-up was cleaning jobs in an obscure village in Shandong, northeastern China’s northeastern province.
Her path to stardom began with an unlikely twist.
In 2023, having a hard time interacting, she remembered selling her jewellery and watching her idol perform, state media reported.
On the show, she was supposed to be roasted during the improvised segment, but the witty response of fans impressed performers who decided to introduce the fans to the trade, she said.
Fans have gained a lot of experience when it comes to divorce, when it comes to thinking about themselves for over 20 years.
“When my eldest daughter was born, I was already thinking about getting divorced,” she told Sanrian.
The mother of two described her ex-husband as a gambler, but her absence made her care for her sick stepfather alone. She also enjoyed his sleazy manners and said he ate the popular Chinese rice cultivation directly from the ladle.
At one point, her ex-husband and his father beat her badly, she claimed that her face was covered in bruises. She goes home and tells her parents that she wants to get divorced, but only gets her mother deterred and tells her to break up the relationship only if he is cheating.
The last straw came when she caught her husband once more concealing his bones and mouth shaking a year or two ago. “This time,” she recalled thinking, “I’ll leave without looking back.”
By then, fans were already based on comedy performances, with a slot in the local comedy club. After leaving her husband, she decided to make the stand-up a real shot to admit both of the two homes and get him to agree to divorce.
During her viral performance, she moved from innocent voluntary to roasting her ex-husband’s full throttle.
“How difficult is it for a country aunt to come to town for work for the first time?” she asks.
She then thought of her current misery.
“I glanced at my husband by my side and thought, ‘I’m not scared of this challenge.’ ”
Apart from her marriage, she was also open about other taboo picks aimed at Chinese women, including many marginalized biological realities.
Focusing on her new, later stardom, she said, “My menopause comes with my debut,” unlike many women who retire when the period stops.
Fans spoken by CNN are rooting for the rise in the Chinese women’s comedy scene and oppose Z Jiang authorities’ warnings against “gender opposition.”
Zhang Yuanqi said he saw a show with his mother and fan who left the same abusive home 10 years ago.
She said that comedians like fans are not trying to stir up ‘gender opposition’. They’re just turning life experiences into jokes.”
“What we want to hear is our own lives,” she said.
Huang Xueao, a 21-year-old university student, said:
Fans touched on the issues women encounter daily, adding that they couldn’t understand local government warnings. “They are telling us to stop. What is behind the authorities’ thoughts?” added Huang. Huang said he wanted to see his mother perform his fans in person.
LSE Meng said the Chinese government is working to understand this new form of entertainment. While this may explain a cautious approach, warnings from Z Jiang authorities are unlikely to bring further results to fans.
As of Sunday, fans’ Weibo accounts remain active (deactivation is one of the first signs that performers have violated Chinese censorship devices) – several posts have removed the railing against the official veiled warning.
For rising performers, comedy is not just a new career, but a way to gain catharsis.
“My biggest change since I started doing stand-up comedy is that I no longer get mad at every move my ex-husband,” fans told Sanrian.
“There’s a sense of reconciliation.”
