Can men in China take a joke? Comediennes have their doubts

BEIJING - On the list of topics best avoided by China's comedians, some are obvious: politics, the Chinese military.

Now add men's fragile egos.

That, at least, was the message sent on Oct 18, when a major e-commerce platform abruptly ended a partnership with China's most prominent female stand-up comic. The company was caving to pressure from men on social media who described comedienne Yang Li, 32, as a man-hating witch.

Speaking up for women's rights is increasingly sensitive in China, and the stand-up stage is the latest battleground.

Growing numbers of women such as Yang are speaking out about - and laughing at - the injustices they face. On two hugely popular stand-up shows this autumn, women were among the breakout stars, thanks to punchlines about the difficulty of finding a good partner or men's fear of talking about menstruation.

But a backlash has emerged, as men baulk at being the butt of the joke. They have attacked the comics on social media; Yang has described receiving threats of violence.

The women's new visibility can also be easily erased. Not long after e-commerce company JD.com dropped Yang, it deleted posts on its official social media account featuring two other comediennes.

The battle over women's jokes reflects the broader paradox of feminism in China. On the one hand, feminist rhetoric is more widespread than ever before, with once-niche discussions of gender inequality now aired openly.

But the forces trying to suppress that rhetoric are also growing, encouraged by a government that has led its own crusade against feminist activism and pushed women towards traditional roles.

On guancha.cn, a nationalistic commentary site, an editorial declared: "The fewer divisive symbols like Yang Li, the better."

Even before the JD.com controversy erupted, Yang had addressed the perils of poking fun at men.