Meet Jesse Appell, an American performing Chinese language stand-up in China. Jesse grew up in Boston and is a graduate of Brandeis University. His Fulbright Scholarship brought him to Beijing where he studied a type of comedy called Xiang Sheng, which became famous during the Qing Dynasty. Jesse’s unique path has put him in situations few Americans have ever encountered. When I look at Jesse’s efforts, I think of the quote from Eric Sevareid, the CBS war correspondent who became a household name during WW2. Sevareid once said, "Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing in the world is power without humor." Jesse’s efforts are helping many in China realize the important role humor plays in a high function society. In this episode we cover…

• How a 9 day vacation to the States turned into 3 years being locked out of China
• The approval process Jesse goes through to perform stand up shows in China
• The differences between what Ameicans and Chinese consider funny
• How the Chinese perceive Jewish people
• How Jesse’s three year long exodus from China led him to create a tea company and the largest tea drinking page on all of Tik Tok
• The years Jesse spent studying Xiang Sheng under the mentorship of a famous master
• Why the tea district in Beijing should be a the top of your travel list
• The reason we in America think about tea all wrong and how tea drinking might be the solution to our nation's loneliness epidemic
• The chinese word he thinks should make its way into the American lexicon

Buy Jesse's tea: https://jessesteahouse.com/ (discount code: SearchForDaas) Tik tok: @yourteaguyInstagram: @whatxisaid