'Wow, so many people!" This is British comedian Fraser Sampson's signature opener for his Chinese stand-up routines. Sharing stories of his life in China and cultural surprises in both English and Chinese, he bridges the gap effortlessly—often to eruptions of laughter and applause.

Sampson spent his childhood in Beijing from the age of 5 and is fluent in standard Chinese. His journey into comedy began after he came back to China following his studies at a British university. "I happened to see a video of U.S. comedian Jesse Appell's stand-up comedy show. Then I thought, 'Why not give it a try?' So I signed up for open mics hosted by comedy clubs," Sampson told Beijing Review, recalling what had triggered the decision to translate his Chinese language skills into a career.

Sources of inspirations 

In 2001, Sampson came to China with his parents. "I grew up in the iconic hutong alleyways in Beijing. My dad was among the first batch of international company managers coming to China," he said. His younger siblings—a brother and a sister—were both born in Beijing.

"My parents originally planned to stay in China for only four years. But then they stayed for nearly two decades," Sampson added.

The experience immersed him in the Chinese language and culture, making him fluent in standard Chinese with a Beijing accent and deeply familiar with the nuances of Chinese life. "I feel I am a boiled-egg person—white on the outside, yellow on the inside!" Sampson joked.

Having attended an international school in China, where his curriculum was in American English, Sampson returned to the United Kingdom to pursue further studies in international trade and Chinese language. His comedy draws on this unique background, weaving material from the contrasts between British and American English, his experiences of cultural shock and his life across both countries. Video clips of his performances have gained many views on Chinese social media platforms.

His act often serves as a bridge to the audience, playfully introducing British customs. One of his signature bits highlights this cultural mediation: "After living in China and not returning to the UK for three years, I went back and realized—I now have cultural differences with the British."

"At a pub with my dad, I said, 'Hello, I'd like one bottle of beer.' But no one came to me. My dad said, 'You can't talk like that. You should wait and make eye contact with the server, and then you get served,'" Sampson said. "For some Chinese audiences, they may wonder: Why do you have to wait for a nod and a wink before ordering? Why not just say 'Excuse me?'"

This unique observation offers a fresh and entertaining perspective for Chinese audiences. In his act, Sampson also develops material about his time studying Chinese in the UK and his interactions with Chinese students abroad. "I filter these experiences through a Chinese lens for the audience to echo more with my performance," he said.

A comedy couple

Sampson met his girlfriend Li Xinshu at a comedy club. The two soon decided to do comedy performances together. In 2023, they created a cross-cultural stand-up comedy act dubbed Shufu Duo, staging solo performances as well as sketches. The name integrates their Chinese nicknames Xiao Shu for Li and A Fu for Sampson.

Li told Beijing Review that she was introduced to comedy by accident while studying medicine at a college in Hunan Province and has followed that career path ever since.

When meeting Li, Sampson felt her personality embodied both Eastern and Western cultures. Communication between them was smooth, though, at times, they did still have their cultural differences. Many of their romantic and daily-life experiences have inspired their comedy creation.

"We just clicked. Our thinking styles matched perfectly. She is extremely direct—no beating around the bush—just like a Brit. Those differences became great material," Sampson said.

"I would view the performances from a Chinese audience's perspective: What would Chinese people want to hear a British performer talk about on stage? What angle would resonate?" Li said. She has helped rewrite the punch lines and adjust the phrasing to add local flavor.

In their performances, many funny moments stemmed from linguistic and cultural gaps. According to Li, it was at first hard for her to fit into the British family. Once, when some friends were over talking with Sampson's family, Li wanted to join in. She waited for the next conversational opening and took it. Seeing Sampson's father raise one hand and gesture with a downward motion, Li thought it was funny and laughed—only to realize that no one else was laughing.

"She whispered to me, 'What were they just talking about?' And I laughed, 'Dad was just explaining his company's downward performance this year'," Sampson said.

An emerging trend

The evolution of modern stand-up comedy in China can be traced to the 1970s and 1980s, with its early form gaining popularity in Hong Kong. Pioneers such as the influential comedian and actor Wong Tze Wah helped shape the genre in the 1990s.

The solo performance style began taking root on the Chinese mainland in 2012, with the launch of the variety show '80s Talkshow on Shanghai-based Dragon TV. Later, online variety shows such as Rock & Roast made it more widely embraced by a young audience in China. Bilingual or English performances have also gained popularity.

For Sampson, stand-up comedy has only been in China for about a decade—it is still evolving. Overseas, the performances are often powered by the performers' charisma or physicality, while Chinese comedy tends increasingly to be textually rich.

"Comedy is therapeutic for many young people today," Li said. She also creates solo performances on gender topics to explore social issues.

As Sampson observed, the Chinese audience's online and offline expectations also differ, and different groups have diverse preferences. For those unfamiliar with stand-up comedy, the Shufu Duo makes simpler, more direct jokes—not dense wordplay. But for the big fans, they explore deeper topics. "As performers, we need versatile sets and know which jokes to use where," Sampson said.

He noted that many stand-up comedians in China seek to find humor through more creative and thought-provoking perspectives, instead of rude or offensive expressions based on stereotypes.

"That trend also pushes us to avoid those tropes. Instead, we focus on highlighting cultural contrasts in ways that audiences can easily relate to and genuinely find entertaining," Sampson said.

The two comedians are still defining their style. According to Sampson, they have studied many comedy forms, including errenzhuan, a folk comedy genre in northeast China, to learn and adapt.

He also felt encouraged that China's comedy ecosystem—encompassing comedians, clubs and social media platforms—is constantly innovating to enhance the audience experience. "Everything is in flux, and hot topics keep shifting," he said.

Sampson said social media platforms have helped expand the comedy market in China. According to him, Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and RedNote (Xiaohongshu), a popular Chinese lifestyle and e-commerce app, have made their performances more widely known through video clips, and facilitated ticket buying.

"Today, some comedians overseas still say to the audience after their performances, 'You can buy tickets on my personal website,' like it was a decade ago," he noted.

The two comedians have also discussed the impact of AI. They believe live comedy shows are irreplaceable. While AI can write clever scripts, it cannot replicate human emotion, stage presence or comedic rhythm, according to Sampson.

The goal of their performances is not to lecture. "It is to use cultural-difference jokes to build bridges between different cultures. In those moments of laughter, we truly understand and accept each other," Sampson said.

"Just as U.S. comedian Jeff Ross said, comedy brings people together," he said. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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