Strangers in China

Storm Xu is a comedian and the owner of a local comedy club. One of the very few comics who can perform in both English and Chinese, Storm is making a name for himself on the Chinese stand-up comedy scene as he deftly navigates between languages and cultures to connect with his various audiences. 

5:21: Hip-hop influence

10:15: “Making it” as a comedian

15:00: Bilingual comedy

19:55: Let’s not talk politics

24:44: Performing under censorship

Music credits:

“Analytical Skeletons,” by csus; “SNOWDROP” and “Take It Easy,” by PIANO FLAVA; “Early,” by Freshboiii; “xmpty,” by lofee; “Hip Hop Instrumental Bpm 117,” by Terri Skillz; and “D E C E M B E R,” by Sachko.

Storm Xu on social media: 

Website | Instagram | Twitter

Works consulted:

Q&A with rising Chinese comic Storm Xu ahead of March 10 Salud gig, by Kyle Mullin; Heard the one about Asia’s comedy scene? First, you’ll need a permit, by Charlotte Graham-McLay; Melbourne Comedy Festival's Dashan, Andy Curtain and Storm Xu are China's stand-up pioneers, by Angus Grigg; What’s it like being a comedian in China, BBC Funny In Four; and Can stand-up comedy succeed in China?, by Robert Foyle Hunwick.

Comedy clips:

A STORM HITS LONDON; Storm Xu stand-up; Storm Xu - Comedy Show in a Military Base; and Comedian Storm Xu - Learning English from Biggie Tupac and Wu Tang Clan.

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For Lily, a professional 32-year-old woman living in Shanghai, navigating the divide between the expectations of her family deep in rural China and her own desires for her future has never been easy. As an unmarried woman who long ago left her hometown, she faces mounting pressure from her family and community to find a partner and settle down. On this week’s episode of Strangers in China, Lily shares her struggles with rootlessness and a search for belonging, and the revelations she has had about the world beyond China that have helped shape who she is today — though often in direct opposition to traditional cultural norms. 

Acknowledgments 

The creators of Strangers in China would like to thank Ryan Thorpe and the Shanghai Writers Workshop and Anthony Tao of SupChina. 

This episode and this series is dedicated to Clay’s grandmother Joyce, who passed away as this podcast was being conceived.

Music credits:

“Analytical Skeletons,” “What Are You Doing Tomorrow?,” “Shhia Bhat,” “Advil’s Lament,” and “Gifts” by csus; Terri Skillz; “Sorrow” by Sappheiros; “I Like You” by Dovi; “MARIGOLD” by Evan Schaeffer Music Studios.

Works consulted:

Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China, by Leta Hong Fincher

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The latest addition to the Sinica Podcast Network, “Strangers in China,” makes its debut on September 19. Join creator and host Clay Baldo in getting to know the unsung actors in the grand China story: the creative and the quirky, the misfits and the malcontents, the wise-crackers and the weirdos. Over the coming months, “Strangers in China” will pull back the curtain on the lesser-known faces of Chinese society, and shed light on the idiosyncratic individuals that make China tick.

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