Language spreads

Huang Chuxin, director of the digital media research center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute for Journalism and Communication, said the popularity of standup comedy has been helped by the internet.

"The jokes are short, but call for a degree of repetition, which creates a specific persona and particular punch lines," Huang said.

"Furthermore, the language of standup comedy has seeped into the expressions young people use in their daily lives."

Han, the Beijing white-collar worker, has changed the language she uses after watching standup comedy for several years.

She and her husband－a Beijing native who is also a fan of the genre－watch a live show at least once a month in the city.

"I have a lot on my plate every day, including catching the subway each morning to arrive at work before 9 am. The journey takes an hour," Han said.

"My husband is also busy with work most of the time. When something awful happens, we now try to use some of the punch lines we've learned from the comedians to tackle our problems."

Meanwhile, Yingning, the standup comic, is accumulating material for her first solo performance.

"I have discovered－and some standup comedians have also told me－that the reason we make people laugh is that we think ahead of everyone else," she said.

"However, I don't think this form of comedy will be around that long, but we hope to create more content from our observations and thoughts about life."