What’s trending?

A video that has gone viral shows famous comedian Guo Degang saying he would not recruit female members for his troupe that specializes in the xiangsheng-style of stand-up comedy. In the video, Guo explains that his respect for women is the reason for his thinking. The hashtag #Guo-Degang-does-not-recruit-female-apprentices-due-to-respect# has been viewed over 150 million times on Weibo.

What’s the story?

Xiangsheng, a traditional comedy performance style featuring two actors on stage, originated in Northern China. The pair are often men who tell witty and sarcastic jokes, occasionally with adult content. In 1996, Guo established the Xiangsheng performance group Deyunshe in Beijing. The group has cultivated many famous Chinese comedians over the years, including Yue Yunpeng and Sun Yue. However, it has also been criticized for being an all-male club. In response to previous criticism, Guo has said that teaching women to perform Xiangsheng with his group was a waste of time “We are not discriminating against women but respecting them,” Guo says in the viral video clip.

Despite his claims, China has a number of successful female Xiangsheng performers. Jia Ling, for example, has performed twice on the CCTV New Year’s Gala, the most-watched TV program in the world broadcast each Lunar New Year’s Eve. Earlier this year, Yang Li, a female comedian became famous for her quote: “Why are some men so ordinary, yet so blindly confident?”

What are people saying online?

Guo’s explanation has infuriated most people, with many expressing frustration at the systemic discrimination against women in the industry. “One day women can tell dirty jokes on stage without people judging them and thinking they’re abnormal. One day women can be funny without fear. One day women won’t need to be elegant and pretty to gain a place in the entertainment industry. That’s when equality finally comes,” read one popular comment.

But some women also said they understood that Guo was trying to protect them. One Weibo user commented: “Some jokes on the Xiangsheng stage are super nasty. Sometimes you also need to face the booing audiences. As a woman, I don’t think I can deal with that.”