China’s Banned Comedian Chizi Tells His Jokes to Chinese Audiences Abroad

Sun Sep 06 2026 06:27:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Former Chinese stand‑up star Chizi, banned by Beijing in 2023, now tours Taiwan, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, reclaiming a voice for Chinese‑speaking fans.

Music producer‑turned‑comedy star Chizi was shut out of China after a 2023 North‑American tour that touched on controversial topics. The 30‑year‑old has since returned to the stage in cities across Asia, selling out shows in Taipei, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Despite the ban, Chizi says he limits overt political jokes but keeps a sharp, personal edge in his material. He sees the tour as a chance to connect with audiences that speak Mandarin and to show how he has lived in China for thirty years. The comedic comeback has sparked debate over censorship, freedom of expression and the reach of Chinese media influence abroad.

China’s Banned Comedian Chizi Tells His Jokes to Chinese Audiences Abroad

Former Chinese stand‑up star Chizi, now a private citizen after being banned from the mainland in 2023, has taken his routine to theaters across Asia. The 30‑year‑old drew a packed crowd at the National University of Singapore last week—where a handful of his jokes about the country’s leader evoked cheers in Mandarin, a rare moment of levity in a region that normally forbids references to Beijing’s head of state.

Chizi’s ban was the result of a series of international shows that touched on sensitive topics such as censorship, nationalism, and ethnic minority rights. The Chinese government never issued a public statement, but the comedian’s name became almost a taboo, and his fans’ social‑media posts were abruptly locked or removed. “In China my face is treated like a sexual organ. It’s not something that can be freely shown or circulated,” he wrote on Threads after learning a fan’s account was suspended for sharing his photo.

Despite the restrictions, Chizi has begun a sold‑out tour that includes Tokyo, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. While he has consciously “limited political humour” in this circuit, his act still contains sharp commentary on Chinese society. The comedian famously refers to President Xi Jinping indirectly, joking that he is “Peng Liyuan’s husband”—a veiled hint that was tense for audiences in Taiwan, a region China claims but where the fun can sometimes be heavy.

In the NUS show, he leaned into his background as a “chatty kid” to connect with listeners. “If something feels risky or dangerous, I find it interesting,” he said, noting that performing in Taiwan—long a point of friction with Beijing—was a bold, but ultimately rewarding act that let him speak openly to Mandarin speakers about life in China for thirty years. The stance was seen by many as an act of defiance, but Chizi argues he simply wants to introduce himself to people in the diaspora and export an authentic personal voice.

Beyond the jokes, Chizi reflects on the crowd. He says “usually you make friends one by one, but on stage I feel like I’m making 500 friends at once.” The comedian’s mainstream career in China—flanked by viral viral dance clips, high‑profile talk‑show appearances, and centuries‑wide viewership on streaming platforms—has faded, but his stage presence continues to resonate with Chinese‑speaking audiences around the globe. He plans to extend his tour to Australia, New Zealand and North America, though he is unsure how long he will continue beyond these dates.

Chizi performing in Taipei