Meet Jesse, the creator who turned tea into one of the most unexpected cultural bridges between China and the world.
But before Jesse’s Tea House, he did something few foreigners have ever managed to do: he mastered traditional Chinese comedy and built a massive following performing entirely in Chinese.
In this episode of China Unpacked, we sit down with Jesse to unpack his remarkable journey — from studying and performing xiangsheng (traditional Chinese comedic dialogue), to becoming a viral sensation in China, losing everything he built almost overnight, and ultimately reinventing himself by turning his lifelong love of tea into a global brand.
What We Talked About in This EpisodeMastering Chinese Comedy as a Foreigner — How Jesse became one of the few non-Chinese performers to apprentice under a xiangsheng master and perform traditional Chinese comedy on stage in China.
Becoming Viral in China and Losing It All — Jesse breaks down how he built a massive comedy following in China, why it suddenly disappeared, and what it’s like to lose an entire career almost overnight.
Reinventing Himself with Tea — How a personal passion turned into Jesse’s Tea House, and why selling something he genuinely loves gave him creative freedom he never had before.
Inside Chinese Comedy Culture — The differences between xiangsheng, stand-up, and improv, and why performing comedy in a second language is one of the fastest ways to truly understand a culture.
Life Between Two Worlds — Jesse opens up about reverse culture shock, identity, and what it’s really like to split life between China and the U.S. after spending nearly a decade abroad.