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An unlikely figure has become a sensation on China’s stand-up comedy scene.
She goes by the stage name Director Fang (房主任).
Director Fang is a 50-year-old woman from Linyi (临沂), a small city in Shandong Province in northern China. She spent most of her life as a housewife before discovering stand-up comedy in 2023.
Now she’s one of China’s most talked-about comedians. Her performances have gone viral on social media.
Her stage name started by accident.
It came out of a comedy show by another well-known female comedian, Li Bo (李波). Fang had been following her on Douyin for years, as a form of light relief from her otherwise relatively miserable life. Li Bo is especially known for her improv sketches, where she invites audience members to share where they’re from and what they do — then roasts them on the spot.
So when Li Bo’s comedy tour announced dates near to Linyi in 2023, Fang knew she had to go.
She desperately wanted to interact with Li Bo in the show, but couldn’t afford the 380-yuan front-row tickets. So she bought a second-row seat for 220 yuan on credit, which was a lot of money for her at that time.
That was the first live comedy show Fang had ever been to. Sat in the second row, she did everything she could to get Li Bo’s attention when it came to the improv part of show. Li spotted her and asked what she did for a living.
Instead of giving the obvious answer — that she was a housewife from Linyi — Fang replied:
“I’m the director of my village’s information centre.”
我是我们村的信息中心的主任。
Taking the bait, Li Bo asked:
“What kind of information?”
什么样的信息？
And then Fang fired straight back:
“Information on who owes money to whom, and won’t pay it back…
And which is the latest mother-in-law-daughter-in-law fall out in the village.”
谁家欠钱又不给了。谁家婆媳俩又干起来了。
In other words, she was the village gossip, and was the director of no centre at all!
And with that punchline, the crowd erupted in laughter.
Li Bo and Fang continued to banter for a few minutes. But it quickly became clear to the audience, that it was Fang landing the killer gags, not Li Bo.
That was a life changing moment for the 50-year old.
Li Bo saw Fang’s talent and invited her to train at her comedy club.
Over the next two years Fang trained as a comedian. Li Bo supported her financially and gave her a job cleaning in the comedy club so she could make extra money to support herself and her family. Fang worked hard to overcome her heavy Shandong accent, by practicing tongue twisters (绕口令) every day.
Which is a great tip for us language learners!
Related
Director Fang’s material draws from her own life experiences. But beneath the humour lies a darker story.
She’s a survivor of domestic violence.
Her childhood was marked by low self-esteem and fear. Her earliest memory is of father beating her:
“My earliest memory in life started with pain: a brutal beating.
My father whipped my back and bottom with a thorny stick.”
我人生最早的记忆是从疼痛开始的：一顿暴揍。爸爸拿荆条抽我后背和屁股。
Later in life violence followed her into marriage.
Her mother arranged a match with a man who was short and thin in the hope that he wouldn’t abuse her as her father had:
“My daughter won’t be taken advantage of, since this man is too weak to beat her.”
闺女跟他吃不了亏，他打不动。
But the violence came anyway.
In the first month of marriage, her husband, and his father, began to beat her. When Fang told her parents about this and asked them for permission to divorce, they refused for fear of losing face in the village.
So for 30 years Fang endured an abusive marriage.
She threw herself into raising her two daughters, and making money to support the family. She found small moments of joy watching comedy on TV and social media when she could.
Her husband didn’t contribute financially. He had no formal job, and never did any housework. Instead, he took the money she earned as a cleaner and gambled it away. And he had multiple affairs, all while his wife worked full-time, raised their family, and cared for his and her elderly, unwell parents.
Now, Director Fang has turned these experiences into comic gold.
On stage, she describes her ex-husband as a “corgi” (柯基) which has become one of her signature sketches.
Her experiences resonate powerfully with many women who live in rural China who’ve had similar experiences — feeling isolated, economically dependent, and trapped by family and societal expectations.
She’s an inspiration to many, but does have to tread carefully. When Fang talks about female independence, for example, she’s careful to clarify she’s not encouraging divorce, which would contradict official efforts to promote marriage and childbirth.
Instead, she sticks to her corgi gag to make the point:
“Only corgis are scared.
Excellent men will never fear independent women.
Only men who want to rely on women and take advantage of them all the time do.”
只有柯基会害怕，优秀的男性永远不会害怕女性独立。只有想依靠女人、不断挤压女人的男人，才会害怕女性独立。
Now, Director Fang, who describes herself as “making her menopausal debut into comedy” (绝经同时出道), is free.
Free from her husband, free to make people laugh, and she’s giving other women who are suffering similar experiences the courage to break free too.
So that’s what we’re discussing this week!
Favourite Five
1. 虎劲 hǔ jìn
fearless, boldness
房主任有股莽撞的虎劲儿 - There’s a fearless, almost reckless energy about Director Fang. [2]
2. 苦中作乐 kǔ zhōng zuò lè
to find joy amid hardship
靠的是对生活细致入微的观察与苦中作乐的豁达 - It relies on a meticulous observation of life and a cheerful spirit that finds joy amid hardship. [4]
3. 与生俱来 yǔ shēng jù lái
innate, inborn
这种精准抓梗的能力，是她与生俱来的天赋 - She has an innate ability to turn episodes of life into viral jokes. [3]
4. 把一手烂牌打好 bǎ yì shǒu làn pái dǎ hǎo
to play a bad hand well, to make the best of a bad situation
人生就像打牌，两个王，四个二，还有什么意思？拿到一把烂牌，把它打好才是最有意思的 - Life is like playing cards — what’s the fun in having two jokers and four twos? The real joy is in playing a bad hand well. [3]
5. 重男轻女 zhòng nán qīng nǚ
favouring sons over daughters
一个很普通、很典型的重男轻女的家庭 - A very common and typical family that favours sons over daughters. [2]
Related:
顺从女性 shùn cóng nǚ xìng – obedient woman
🎧RTM Podcast Preview
This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain phrases which mean “rebirth” or “making a new start” by overcoming hardships:
“Metamorphosis” (蜕变)
“Turnaround battle” (翻身仗)
“Play a bad hand well, to make the best of a bad situation” (把一手烂牌打好)
Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean and the stories behind them…
How native speakers use them…
And how you can use them in real conversations right now and show off your amazing Chinese!
Consuming the Conversation
💡 Ready to get inspired to bridge the gap to real-world fluency? 💡
In every RTM Advanced post you unlock content and tools to inspire you, and help you get fluent.
So, ready to finally get started and wave goodbye to that nagging rusty feeling?
Let’s jump in👇
Consuming the Conversation
Useful Words
6. 自卑 zì bēi
inferiority, self-abasement
但她也是自卑、自闭的，初中没读完，她就不读了 - But she was also insecure and introverted, as she dropped out of the middle school. [2]
7. 包办 bāo bàn
to arrange, to take charge of everything
大她6岁的前夫，真的把她当妈，希望她任劳任怨，包办一切 - Her ex-husband, who is six years older, really treated her as his mother, expecting her to take on all responsibilities and work tirelessly without a word of complaint. [3]
Related:
包办婚姻 bāo bàn hūn yīn - arranged marriage
8. 逗笑 dòu xiào
to make someone laugh, to amuse
那时她还不懂什么是预期违背，但天然地知道怎么逗笑别人 - At that time, she didn’t yet understand what it meant to “deviate from expectation”, but she instinctively knew how to make people laugh. [3]
9. 托举 tuō jǔ
to lift up, to support
李波也成为第一个托举她的贵人 - Li Bo also became the first one to lift her up. [3]
10. 悲惨 bēi cǎn
miserable, tragic
一个女性递给另一个女性的话筒，结束了一个女性悲惨的前半生 - The tragic first half of her life ended when another woman handed the microphone to her. [3]
11. 蜕变 tuì biàn
transformation, metamorphosis
她用自己的蜕变，撕开了社会给女性划定的年龄与身份标签 - Through her own transformation, she defied the age and gender stereotypes that society assigned to women. [4]
Three-character phrases
12. 更年期 gēng nián qī
menopause
更年期给我带来的最大的困扰是会很累，浑身疼 - The biggest trouble menopause has brought me is constant fatigue and body aches. [1]
Related:
绝经 jué jīng – menopause, cessation of menstruation
