Stand-up comedian Tong Monan kicked off Xiaoguo Comedy's annual year-end show, To Gather, Together, on Tuesday at the Bocom New Bund 31 Performing Art Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Stand-up comedian Tong Monan kicked off Xiaoguo Comedy's annual year-end show, To Gather, Together, on Tuesday at the Bocom New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center, attracting over 2,000 attendees.
Running until February 8, 2026, the nationwide tour will feature nearly 60 performances across 18 cities, showcasing over 150 of China's top stand-up comedians.
The tour includes a variety of comedy formats, such as stand-up specials, IP shows, manzai (a traditional Japanese double-act comedy), and improvisational comedy.
Stand-up comedian Tong Monan kicked off Xiaoguo Comedy's annual year-end show, To Gather, Together, on Tuesday at the Bocom New Bund 31 Performing Art Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Beyond stage performances, Xiaoguo has organized a range of offline activities to engage comedy enthusiasts, including live podcast recordings, comedy variety show tapings, thematic exhibitions, open-mic music sessions, and improvisational workshops.
According to the China Association of Performing Arts, professional theater performances for stand-up comedy in the first half of 2025 increased by 54.1 percent year-on-year, with box office revenue surging 134.9 percent. Stand-up comedy is now the second-largest category in theater performances, following stage drama.
Stand-up comedian Tong Monan kicked off Xiaoguo Comedy's annual year-end show, To Gather, Together, on Tuesday at the Bocom New Bund 31 Performing Art Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
During this period, personal stand-up comedy tours exceeded 1,000 shows, attracting over 600,000 attendees. Performances with audiences of more than 500 people surpassed 650, marking an eightfold increase from the previous year.
In 2025, Xiaoguo staged over 630 offline shows, reaching more than 640,000 audience members. Online, Xiaoguo's stand-up comedy competition, Stand-Up Comedy and Friends Season II, has garnered over 3.7 billion video views across platforms. Another new comedy variety show, Roast, is set to premiere before the Spring Festival.
