Fun young ladies — Modern feminism and China's stand-up comedy

Abstract

Since the introduction of stand-up comedy into contemporary China, young Chinese comediennes have become an active part of the comedy scene. As an annual stand-up comedy show for new generation comedians, Rock & Roast provided an excellent platform for young female comedians to break the gender barrier of traditional language performance art, giving birth to outstanding female stand-up comedians including Yang Li and the Yan Twins, igniting a new wave of feminist thinking. Contrary to the more active feminist movements in the West, stand-up comedy performances featuring female topics serve as a negotiated form of feminist expression. Using humor and satire as a medium, comedy works as the new means for the dissemination and further emancipation of feminist thought in China. Although their humorous expressions are still limited by gender stereotypes and patriarchal gazes, their courageous voices will still make a historic contribution to Chinese women's further struggle for women's rights and gender equality.