Standing up, not lying down

• Source: Global Times
• [15:14 June 17 2010]
• Comments

By Wang Yufeng

Zhou Libo. Photo: Courtesy of Zhou Libo

With his signature slicked-back parted hair and flashy suits, comedian Zhou Libo, has made a name for himself in Shanghai with his unique style of haipaiqingkou, loosely translated as "clean talk about Shanghai," in which he mixes Shanghainese and putonghua to comment on major issues currently facing the public.

Zhou's shows, such as Comments on Shanghai and Crazy for Money, almost always play to packed houses. Since 2006, he has gone from selling out 200-seat rooms to 3,700-seat theaters. "I have organized many shows, but have never seen anything like it. Every one of his 132 shows has played to a full house," said Yu Shuqin, the general manager of Shanghai Yanyi Co. Ltd., Zhou's booking agent.

Zhou's nonstop three-hour shows, which feature characteristics of both cross-talk and stand-up comedy, has won him millions of fans, but also his share of detractors - especially from northern China - at a time when he was trying to spread his act to audiences outside of Shanghai.

Capitalizing on coffee and garlic

Zhou had been a popular comedian in the 1980s, but had to leave the stage after he was jailed following a fight with his then girlfriend's father (now his father in-law), who was trying to stop Zhou from marrying his daughter.

Zhou spent about six months in jail because of the incident, and decided to leave the stage to go into the business world. But eventually, he felt the pull to return.

"The stage, however, never left my heart and after I got tired of business I decided to return and bring something new to my act," Zhou told the Global Times as he lit a cigar during an interview in his office.

With his penchant for exaggeration, in both words and gestures, Zhou has a reputation for speaking his mind about current events and the minutia of daily life, which has greatly appealed to audiences.

However, parts of his act, especially the comparison between northern and southern Chinese, has not always been appreciated. Zhou likes to draw distinctions between the two cultures. He has called southern culture, especially that in Shanghai, "coffee culture," highlighting what he considers the region's more cosmopolitan attributes. At the same time, he has referred to northern culture as "garlic culture."

"Northern people who like eating garlic emit a smell that others have to bear, but on the contrary, the coffee that we Shanghainese drink tastes bitter but makes the air around us fragrant for others," Zhou said during one of his shows after joking about a rumor that he and renowned northern comedian Guo Degang would perform together.

"How can a man who is fond of coffee work with a man who is fond of garlic?" Zhou said.