A Chinese and a Taiwanese comedian walk into a bar … : NPR

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Vickie Wang calls Jamie Wang her “mirror sister.”

No, they don’t seem to be associated, however they share an inverse historical past.

Vickie, who’s initially from Taipei, Taiwan, spent a few decade dwelling in Shanghai, the place she started her stand-up comedy profession, notably beneath Chinese language censorship. Jamie, who’s from Shanghai, got here throughout the Taiwan Strait and fell right into a stand-up profession in Taiwan.

They each met on the bar in a bilingual comedy membership, tucked inside Taipei’s red-light district and commenced performing collectively. Their latest present, A Evening of Cross-Strait Comedy, was so well-received that their buddies recommended they begin touring collectively.

Vickie jokes that in the event that they had been to tour collectively it will really feel like one thing of a “peace and reconciliation tour. Like we’re attempting to bridge cross-strait tensions, one d**okay joke at a time.”

For Vickie and Jamie, comedy is an efficient technique to remind their audiences that the tense relationship between the 2 governments does not imply there must be stress between Taiwanese and Chinese language folks.

They spoke to All Issues Thought of host Ailsa Chang on the very bar the place they first met.

This interview has been frivolously edited for size and readability.

Interview highlights

On each of their comedy units confronting the stereotypes Taiwanese folks have of Chinese language folks.

Vickie Wang: I grew up considering that folks in mainland China are to not be trusted, that they spit, and that they are actually aggressive they usually’re not, like, well mannered and civilized like Taiwanese folks. And it took years in Shanghai to consciously undo that sort of stereotype and prejudice.

Jamie Wang: Principally, like, [Chinese people] are the worst folks on the earth. Like, we’re simply offended. We’re all brainwashed. And we love cash and we glance down on, I do not know, people who find themselves poor.

On the stereotypes Chinese language folks have of Taiwanese folks.

J Wang: I feel folks sort of have this stereotype about Taiwanese the place they’re, like, villagers as a result of they dwell on a small island they usually have not seen a lot of the world. They’re very backwards.

On Chinese language residents having fewer rights in Taiwan than different residents of the island, regardless of technically belonging to the identical “nation.”

J Wang: As a result of I am a Chinese language scholar right here, there’s a variety of unfair regulation in the direction of us. Like, Chinese language college students are the one worldwide college students who can’t work right here. Fortunately, this February, Chinese language folks can have medical health insurance in Taiwan now. However for the previous seven years, I could not. [Most] Chinese language persons are additionally not allowed to work right here, so there is not any approach for Chinese language folks to remain and dwell and work in Taiwan except, like, you get married to a Taiwanese citizen.

On the variations between performing in Taiwan and China.

V Wang: Once I first began doing stand-up in China, I used to be instantly briefed on the three Ts: Tibet, Tiananmen Sq. and Taiwan. These are exhausting pink traces that we’re not supposed to speak about. It is attention-grabbing. It implies that I can not speak about politics. I can not actually speak about LGBTQ points. I evaluate it to having your arm in a solid — over time, the muscle tissue atrophy. And when you’re out of the solid, you could construct again the power. And that is sort of what I am doing now. Now that I am not dwelling in China anymore, proper now, I am additionally revenge bingeing on democracy and freedom of speech. I am actually having fun with having the ability to say no matter I need.

On the implications of Jamie’s comedy going viral, as a Chinse citizen who might face repercussions because of Chinese language censorship.

J Wang: I posted two jokes, they usually had been all viral, clearly as a result of I am very humorous. However one of many jokes touched the positive line. And I believed it was OK, however a variety of Chinese language folks had been trolling me on the web. I additionally acquired demise threats. Trolls DMd me, they had been like, “I will kill you.” And I am like, “You may’t. As a result of you possibly can’t get a visa right here.” I do not suppose you possibly can ever be free so long as you’re Chinese language.

V Wang: There are a variety of issues that I can say that Jamie cannot say. And I do not wish to converse over my Chinese language buddies, however I am additionally very conscious that, like, there’s issues that I’ve to amplify for them. And within the meantime, I also can name out my very own folks. Ever since COVID began, I had Taiwanese buddies on my Fb feed who had been saying issues like, “Oh, yeah, they deserve it. These commies, they deserve a plague on their home.” And I used to be so, so devastated to really feel, like, oh my God, my folks, who I would wish to suppose are typically respectable, form folks, have so dehumanized this different inhabitants that they’ve by no means really encountered. And, you understand, I really feel like having each of us on stage performing collectively, I hope that in some way bridges the hole.

On the ability of comedy to assist folks cope with tense points.

J Wang: I feel comedy is a really highly effective factor ‘trigger it isn’t, like, a debate. Comedy is like, “I make you want me. I make you’re feeling bizarre collectively. After which let me let you know what I’ve to say.” I feel it is a very non-hostile, very pleasant technique to make folks hearken to you.

V Wang: When somebody laughs with you, it is the closest factor you get to altering somebody’s thoughts. Whenever you’re laughing with somebody, it means you — in that second — you get their perspective. To a level, you agree with them. It is a very proactive sort of empathy. And it is a very joyful sort of empathy. Like, the world’s on hearth. I feel that is the perfect factor we are able to do, is to make jokes about it. I simply nonetheless wrestle to make every part humorous. I am going to get there. I am going to determine it out, or Jamie will first.