Uniting through laughter

Establishing the THU Comedy Club with a few schoolmates last year, Zhu has been organizing performances and open mic nights for its members, while enhancing her own comedic skills at the same time.

She currently interns as a high school teacher, incorporating comedic techniques into her teaching methods. Even the topic of her graduation thesis is closely related to stand-up comedy.

For Wang, his introduction to comedy was accidental. In the summer of 2020, a friend who performed stand-up in the United States returned to China and participated in an open mic event in Chengdu, where Wang was asked to review his material.

After reading it, Wang jokingly said, "If you can perform this, then so can I."

This experience prompted Wang to join a comedy club, delve into comedy books and videos, and start crafting jokes and sketches.

Wang even created an English musical stand-up routine titled I Don't Wanna Speak English, playfully mocking his study abroad experience in Sweden.

His talent caught the attention of renowned comedian Joe Wong, who invited Wang to be a guest performer on his show.

However, Wang's parents weren't too supportive of his comic career initially, as they believed he should pursue "a more refined form of art".

In the face of this, Wang doubled down on his comedy pursuits. "There's a study that says comedy is a prejudice reliever. I think it's also a stress reliever," he said.

"I feel like stand-up inherently carries a rebellious tone. The less support I get, the stronger my urge to rebel."

He recalled a touching moment when he felt his father's acknowledgment. One night as he was brushing his teeth, he kept hearing something playing in his father's room and soon realized it was his stand-up song.

"I deliberately brushed my teeth for a long time, and I heard that song playing on repeat three times," he said.

"My dad rarely directly expresses appreciation for my comedy, so I was pretty moved."

When asked why young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are drawn to comedy, Wang and Zhu responded in unison, "Who doesn't love to laugh?"

Wang added, "I think for those who like comedy, if they get the same punchline, they hold similar values and views of life."

Zhu concurred, "If I appreciate your comedy, it somewhat means I appreciate you."