Taking "Comedy Warms Life" as its theme,  the Beijing International Comedy Festival will stage 14 works across the city as well as some screening events at cinemas until August 14, according to festival organizers.  

The festival kicked off with drama Nalati Grassland Love at the Capital Theater on Monday night. Also showing on Tuesday night, the show uses China's Belt and Road Initiative as the background to tell a story about the Kazakh people living in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.  

Shanghai Farce, a type of comedic play, will also be featured at the festival in August with the show Crow and Sparrow, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. 

The festival also includes Broadway shows Happy Dinner and Bird Man.