Freed through comedy

This summer, Fang Zhuren (a stage name, with the surname Fang), a 50-year-old woman from a rural village in Shandong province with only a middle school education, burst onto the country's stand-up comedy scene as the dark horse of the hit online competition, The King of Stand-Up Comedy Season Two.

The turning point came two years ago, when, in her own words, she was trapped by endless housework and an oppressive marriage. She was desperate for an escape.

Then, on a whim in March 2023, she scraped together 220 yuan ($30.62) to watch a live show by Li Bo, a female comedian from Shenyang, Liaoning province, who has over 13 million followers on the short-video platform Douyin.

That night, during the interactive segment, the performer spotted Fang in the audience.

"What do you do for a living?" She asked Fang, handing the microphone to her, who was sitting in the second row with a mask and looked slightly uneasy.

"I'm the director of the information center in our village," Fang replied.

"What kind of information do you handle?" the comedian asked.

"Oh, things like which family's daughter hasn't returned in two years, who owes money and won't pay it back, or which mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got into another fight. … That's pretty much the kind of news I keep track of," Fang deadpanned.

The crowd erupted in laughter and applause.

Fang's quick-witted, humorous improvised answer stole the show, and the clip later went viral, amassing millions of views online.

Impressed, the comedian invited Fang to join a comedy training session, and even got Fang's travel, accommodation, and training expenses covered.

That marked the beginning of Fang's journey into becoming a stand-up comedian.

Stand-up comedy then became Fang's catharsis, not only allowing her to release years of pent-up frustration from her marriage and family life, but finally giving her the courage to walk away from her "toxic 30-year relationship" and start anew.

In her debut on the aforementioned comedy competition, Fang delivered a hilarious yet touching set about how stand-up comedy empowered her to divorce her husband and build a new life with her two daughters.

The performance quickly made her a viral sensation.

Yang Tianzhen, a judge on the show, remarks that Fang embodies the resilient spirit of Chinese women, with strength forged through adversity.

"She is a precious gem in the stand-up comedy industry," Yang adds.

Tan Xiaohong, producer of the show, admits she initially had doubts when first encountering Fang's audition tape.

"Her set was electrifying, a raw account of her life story," she recalls. "But I worried whether that magic could be replicated in the following competition rounds.

"When we met in person, all my doubts vanished. Her raw authenticity and strong ability to consistently transform life experiences into comedy made casting her an undeniable choice," says Tan.

Raised in a small village south of Linyi city, Shandong, Fang quit middle school when her family could no longer afford her education.

"I'd read anything with words on it, even medication instructions. Back then, the only books I could get my hands on were classics. I particularly loved reading Dream of the Red Chamber," Fang recalls in a recent podcast program.

After leaving school, she worked in textile and brick factories, sending her earnings home to fund her younger brother's greenhouse and her ailing mother's medical treatments.

At 20, she got married. Her then-husband, and now ex-husband, ran a fruit shop while she became a housewife raising two daughters.

In 2010, with her youngest still a toddler and her then-father-in-law bedridden after a stroke, Fang shouldered his care alone, changing his diapers, feeding and bathing him.

"My ex never lifted a finger; he just criticized me. To drown him out, I bought a smartphone and listened to podcasts on Ximalaya (a podcast platform) while doing household chores," she says. That's how she discovered stand-up comedy.

After she was offered a chance to train in Shenyang, Fang began weaving her struggles, including domestic violence and rural sexism, into her sets.

For months, she bombed at open mic events, tense and unsure.

Fang was hired as a theater hand to cover the living costs.

Then, one day, everything clicked.

"Stand-up soon became my release. The more I spoke, the lighter I felt. I stopped disliking the man; I pitied him. Comedy helped me make peace with life," Fang says.

With the emotional strength and financial independence that comedy provides, Fang decided to live life on her terms.

Powerfully closing her competition debut, she announced: "My parents never remember my birthday, but two years ago, I decided that it's April 8. Because on April 8, 2023, I was signed as a comedian."

"On April 8, 2024, I left with just my daughters and divorce papers." The crowd broke into thunderous applause. "April 8, 2025? Nothing special. Just a peaceful, happy day," she adds.

Her elder daughter says on social media: "My mom is just talented, the kind of talent that need not be proved via certificates."

"Her persistence (in the comedian's job) sets us an example."