"Hello everyone, I'm Harry." Standing on the stage of Chinese stand-up comedy, British Harry, fluent in Mandarin, always uses this simple opening line to connect with the audience quickly. Some say he's a "mouthpiece," others call him a "joker"... Our Harry is finding his place on the Chinese stage in his own way.
Eighteen years ago, when Harry first came to China, he studied medicine in a small city in Hebei. At that time, there were not many foreigners around him, and language was the biggest obstacle. "If you want to have a social life, if you want to go out and hang out with people, you have to learn Chinese." However, he didn't deliberately study Chinese characters; rather, he learned by listening in daily conversations with friends. Today, many viewers of Harry's stand-up comedy say he is a foreign actor with even more standard Mandarin, largely due to this experience.
A turning point under the pandemic: From audience to stage
Harry has been a stand-up comedy enthusiast since childhood, but becoming a performer was never part of his plan. Until the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to bring the world to a standstill, it became an opportunity for him to transition from a stand-up comedy audience member to a performer.
"I thought at the time, I had nothing to lose. I've always liked stand-up comedy. Why not go on stage and have some fun, and talk about my thoughts? It's like therapy," Harry said.
Harry recalls that his first time on stage was quite dramatic; the host forgot to introduce him, leaving him waiting nervously backstage for an hour and a half, only to ultimately not be able to perform. Still, this mishap did not stop him.
Harry is not the first foreigner to do stand-up comedy in Chinese. He admits that at the beginning of his career, some people thought he would follow the old path of some foreign actors, using his "foreign face" as a gimmick and talking about content related to stereotypes. But he was determined not to go down this route, but rather to share his sincere observations of life in China.
In 2024, Harry made his first appearance on an online stand-up comedy show. Initially, the production team was worried that his content was too unique, that the audience might not accept it, and that it might attract criticism. But he responded frankly, "If I get criticised, so be it, anyway, this stuff is real, I'm going to talk about it." The result was unexpected, and the audience gave him great tolerance and resonance.
One audience member commented, "His Mandarin is very standard, he is familiar with Chinese culture, and combined with his own experiences in his home country, the jokes he tells are jokes that other actors can't tell."
This unique perspective and authentic experience ultimately coalesced into his personal stand-up comedy show "Outsider." This name accurately captures his core feelings over the past 18 years.
Harry explained that the reason why the show is named "Outsider" is not just because he is a foreigner. "Of course, that's one reason, but more importantly, I believe that everyone, at different stages, will feel out of place with their surroundings, and will have the feeling of being an 'outsider.'"
Breaking down prejudice: Experiencing the real face of China firsthand
From a medical student to a stand-up comedian, from not being able to speak the language to becoming the audience's "mouthpiece," Harry's 18 years in China have been a long and profound journey of "localization." Harry recalls that when he was in the UK, he had no liking for Chinese food, thinking, "It's terrible, like greasy, the taste is not good." However, after coming to China, he was surprised to find that the food here was "completely different," and he fell in love with everything.
For those foreigners who are interested in China, his advice is sincere and direct, "Don't come with preconceived notions, don't believe everything you hear in the Western media. Just come here and experience it for yourself. If you like it, you stay; if you don't like it, it doesn't matter, at least you take back a real experience that you can tell others what China is really like."
Over the past 18 years, Harry has witnessed many changes in China and has also noticed shifts in how Chinese people view the outside world. He uses humour and observation to build bridges between two cultures. He ultimately finds his own voice and position on the stage of a foreign land: A "seat inside" that an "outsider" has won for himself with sincerity and understanding.
(Reporter: Rachel; Camerapeople: Sammi, Darius; Editors: Sammi, Rachel; English Editors: Rachel, Darius)
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