From small, underground clubs to national fame, stand-up comedy has well and truly gone mainstream in China. Our reporter Wang Siwen talks to the leader of one stand-up comedy company to find out why the format is so appealing to Chinese audiences. 

For the May Day holiday, Xiaoguo Comedy has staged nearly 60 performances in 11 cities, with 30-thousand people coming to its shows.

WANG SIWEN Beijing "Audience members come from a range of age groups. But it's the young members that are enabling talk show producers to see the true potential of the Chinese market."

In the first quarter of the year, Xiaoguo Comedy, one of the leading companies in the stand-up comedy industry, reached growth of two to three times more compared to last year.

HE XIAOXI, CEO and Co-Founder, Xiaoguo Comedy "The art form for stand-up comedy is becoming more diverse in terms of the topics and groups of people. With the development of stand-up comedy, other art forms like Manzai Comedy and so on have also emerged. The audience profile is slowly trending toward greater levels of accessibility."

A new generation of Chinese comedians is taking to the stage using humor to tackle hot topics Tong has been described as talented by many of his peers.

TONG MONAN, Stand-up Comedian, Xiaoguo Comedy "The most charming part of stand-up comedy is how it reflects personality, and emphasizes the unique life you're experiencing. It's extremely friendly to people of all ages and professions. It's open to everyone, when anyone holds the microphone, we all want to hear their story."

The talk show craze shows no sign of slowing down and has continued to maintain steady growth in recent years.

With China's pandemic controls easing, things are only expected to improve as talk shows, concerts, dramas and musicals all return to stage. For He, part of the attraction of standup comedy is the way they're made.

HE XIAOXI, CEO and Co-Founder, Xiaoguo Comedy "Compared to other art forms, one good feature about stand-up comedy is that at its core it's all about the creative side. It's not about presentation or even simply the performance. Because of this, it's more in line with how young people see themselves entering the stage. It's a relatively lightweight decision for them to make."

Competition in the sector is fierce, with new shows launching and old shows having to innovate to stay ahead of the curve. But one thing is certain. A niche world is now ubiquitous and even part of popular culture in China and shows no sign of going away. WSW, CGTN, BJ.