<figure id="attachment_3115516" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3115516" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3115516" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/71ffb99a-women-china-epa-220725.webp" alt="Women China EPA 220725" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3115516" class="wp-caption-text">Women&#8217;s rights are sensitive territory in China, with authorities cracking down on almost every form of feminist activism. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
BEIJING: Chinese officials have warned comedians against stirring up gender discord, instructing those who invoke a battle of the sexes to criticise constructively rather than &#8220;for the sake of being funny&#8221;.
The WeChat article posted over the weekend by authorities in eastern Zhejiang province comes after a comedian detailed her abusive marriage in a performance that went viral on Chinese social media.
Women&#8217;s rights are sensitive territory in China – over the last decade, authorities have cracked down on almost every form of independent feminist activism.
Zhejiang&#8217;s publicity department chastised some comedy shows for becoming a &#8220;battlefield&#8221; and simplifying gender issues into &#8220;opposition between men and women&#8221;.
&#8220;Criticism is obviously fine, but it should be&#8230; constructive rather than revolve around gender opposition for the sake of being funny,&#8221; Sunday&#8217;s WeChat article read.
The department also offered comedians tips on how to discuss gender in their sets.
&#8220;Instead of mocking &#8216;blindly confident men&#8217; it is better to explore the social causes for this mentality,&#8221; it suggested.
&#8220;Instead of blindly ridiculing &#8216;materialistic women&#8217;, it is better to reflect on how consumerism shapes gender roles.&#8221;
The warning did not name a specific comedian, but called out streaming platform iQiyi&#8217;s &#8220;The King of Stand-up Comedy&#8221;, and mentioned a newcomer dubbed an &#8220;industry gem&#8221; online.
Earlier this month, the show broadcast a performance by Fan Chunli – who goes by the stage name &#8220;Fangzhuren&#8221; – an affable 50-year-old whose set revolved around her abusive marriage.
Members of the audience were moved to tears and many stood to applaud when she revealed she had left her ex-husband.
Clips of her set spread across the Chinese internet, earning the former sanitation worker from northern Shandong province legions of new fans.
&#8220;I hope Fangzhuren&#8217;s ex-husband hears this and dies of anger,&#8221; reads the top-liked comment under a clip re-shared by the programme&#8217;s official Weibo account.
&#8216;Just saying facts&#8217;
The Chinese arts scene has always been heavily censored by the ruling Communist Party, and authorities have tightened that oversight in the past decade.
But Sunday&#8217;s warning sparked some criticism online.
&#8220;Just saying the facts of what happened is provoking opposition between men and women?&#8221; one top-liked Weibo comment reads.
&#8220;Once something is discussed from a female perspective it is labelled gender opposition, isn&#8217;t that too sensitive,&#8221; reads another.
Other women have faced backlash for joking about gender issues in the past.
Last year, retail giant JD.com dropped its sponsorship of Yang Li, a comedian known for asking why men &#8220;look so mediocre yet still have so much self-confidence&#8221;.
Irked customers, mostly men, filled the company&#8217;s social media with angry comments after Yang appeared at a promotional event.
But this month, fans applauded Fangzhuren for telling her story.
&#8220;The environment changes people, and will prompt women&#8217;s awakening,&#8221; she posted on Weibo.
&#8220;When I said in the village I wanted a divorce, I was&#8230; unforgivable,&#8221; she wrote.
&#8220;On the outside, when I talk about my divorce, the audience applauds.&#8221;

MatchPoint Times

Chinese comedians warned against provoking ‘gender opposition’

Authorities have instructed those who invoke a battle of the sexes to criticise constructively rather than ‘for the sake of being funny’.

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